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Although his team remained at the summit of Group L throughout, Thomas Tuchel will have mixed emotions about the past fortnight.
A thrilling 4-2 victory over Croatia generated plenty of early optimism, but the Three Lions’ subsequent two performances left a lot to be desired. After failing to lay a glove on Ghana in a tepid goalless draw, England nervously edged past Panama on Saturday evening. The Central Americans contained their esteemed opponents for over an hour at MetLife Stadium, but a quick-fire salvo from Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham effectively ended the tie as a contest.
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DR Congo return to the venue that staged their final group match, which concluded with them celebrating a historic first World Cup triumph. A second-half brace from Newcastle United’s Yoane Wissa helped the Leopards defeat a stubborn Uzbekistan outfit, who had taken an early lead through talismanic striker Eldor Shomurodov.
Having also claimed an impressive 1-1 draw with stuttering Portugal before losing narrowly to Colombia on matchday two, Sébastien Desabre’s men racked up a respectable four-point tally in Group K.
England’s fourth fixture of this summer’s World Cup will be televised exclusively live on BBC One, while online viewers can follow the action on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website.
England v DR Congo – Key information
Date: Wednesday, July 1st
Kick-off time: 17:00 (BST)
Venue: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
Referee: Adham Makhadmeh
TV Channels/Live stream: BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website
Odds: Match Result – England: 27/100, Draw: 9/2, DR Congo: 11/1
To qualify – England: 1/9, DR Congo: 11/2
Odds provided by bet365
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England team news
With limited full-back options available and several England wingers struggling to produce their best form, Thomas Tuchel has a real problem on the flanks.
After Tino Livramento was forced to withdraw from the squad due to a calf issue, Reece James complained of tightness in his hamstring following last week’s meeting with Ghana. That resulted in Jarell Quansah occupying the right-back position against Panama, but the Bayer Leverkusen star limped off just after the hour mark with a twisted ankle.
The former Chelsea boss might be regretting his decision to draft in centre-back Trevoh Chalobah rather than Trent Alexander-Arnold, who was overlooked when Livramento’s replacement was being sourced.
Djed Spence could start on the right-hand side of defence on Wednesday, leaving Nico O'Reilly as the only recognised left-back. In front of them, Arsenal pair Bukayo Saka – who now has two assists despite nursing a persistent Achilles problem – and Noni Madueke look the most likely to get the nod. Marcus Rashford failed to stake his claim for a starting berth last time out, while Anthony Gordon was unable to make an impact in either of England’s opening two matches.
Although he did receive a welcome rest on Saturday night, Declan Rice continues to feel pain in his back and hamstring and is therefore unlikely to last the full 90 minutes. Jude Bellingham earned a second consecutive Player of the Match award thanks to another eye-catching display, despite dropping into a deeper role to cover for the absent Arsenal midfielder.
England predicted lineup v DR Congo (4-2-3-1)
Coach: Thomas Tuchel
Jordan Pickford (GK); Djed Spence, Ezri Konsa, Marc Guéhi, Nico O'Reilly; Elliot Anderson, Declan Rice; Bukayo Saka, Jude Bellingham, Noni Madueke; Harry Kane
DR Congo team news
Conversely, Sébastien Desabre is free from any pressing injury concerns. The French tactician is likely to revert to a back five against England, having adopted a more attacking 4-4-2 system for last Sunday’s must-win encounter with Uzbekistan.
Expect Noah Sadiki to be involved from the start after featuring as a second-half substitute in each of DR Congo’s first two outings, while his Sunderland teammate Arthur Masuaku will form part of a defence that contains Championship-based duo Axel Tuanzebe and Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
Following an injury-ravaged campaign at St. James’ Park, Yoane Wissa has already converted three times at this World Cup. Wissa will lead the line alongside Cédric Bakambu, who is just two goals short of becoming his country’s all-time top scorer. The veteran frontman found the net on four occasions during qualifying, but hasn’t fired a single shot on target since arriving in North America.
DR Congo predicted lineup v England (5-3-2)
Coach: Sébastien Desabre
Lionel Mpasi (GK); Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Axel Tuanzebe, Chancel Mbemba, Steve Kapuadi, Arthur Masuaku; Noah Sadiki, Samuel Moutoussamy, Edo Kayembe; Cédric Bakambu, Yoane Wissa
Where to watch on TV or live stream?
After screening England’s second group stage fixture, the BBC has secured broadcasting rights for this Wednesday’s contest in Georgia. Coverage is expected to commence approximately an hour before kick-off, which is scheduled for 17:00 (BST).
A live stream of events at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium will be available on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport app, with users able to access an extended highlights reel following the full-time whistle.
Every one of this summer’s 104 World Cup matches is being shown on free-to-air television, with BBC and ITV receiving an exactly even allocation.
Head-to-head record
Given that DR Congo have only made one previous World Cup appearance (while competing as Zaire in 1974), it’s perhaps unsurprising that this will be the first meeting between these two teams.
Having already faced Ghana in the group stage, England will play two different African opponents during the same World Cup campaign for just the second time in history. Bobby Robson’s side defeated a couple of CAF representatives at Italia 90’, edging out Egypt in Sardinia before Gary Lineker’s extra-time spot kick eliminated Cameroon in the quarter-finals.
There have been ten World Cup knockout ties between African nations and former winners of the competition, with the latter emerging triumphant on nine occasions. Morocco are the only team to buck the trend, thanks to their penalty shootout victory over Spain at the last sixteen stage of the 2022 World Cup.
England v DR Congo – Odds
Match Result
To qualify
The odds, correct at the time of publication, are subject to change. All odds provided by bet365.
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