Key events
While we wait for the big kick-off, some more news from our man in New Jersey, Jacob Steinberg … and it’s got absolutely nothing to do with this game. See, a reporter’s work is never done. Always with a finger on the pulse, always spinning plates.
Did you know the transfer window’s open? Easy to forget when there’s a World Cup on. Anyway Como are trying to sign an England player – Trevoh Chalobah of Chelsea, who are holding out for £30m plus £5m in add-ons for the defender. Chelsea are also interested in signing Granit Xhaka – a key player for Xabi Alonso’s title-winning Bayer Leverkusen – but it’s hard to see Sunderland agreeing to sell the Switzerland midfielder.
To the dressing rooms! Panama’s first-choice kit is red, England’s is white, so of course both teams are playing in their second-choice colours of, respectively, white and red. No photo on the wires of the Panama pennant, and the England one is excruciatingly dull (see Pennant Watches passim), so let’s shelve that feature. What else to say? Erm … the branded towels look quite nice? You’d shove one in your kitbag on the way out. Hey, tell you what, though: those chairs don’t look particularly ergonomically sound for elite sports stars to slump on. Also their portable and easy-to-swing-at-head-height nature is surely asking for trouble should there be a need to deconstruct the performance after a shock loss. But no need to catastrophise like this. I’ve been watching Scotland too much. Hmm. I miss Pennant Watch.
Thomas Tuchel talks to ITV. “We feel very well prepared … strong team … ready to go … prove a point … do the next step and win the match … I am always excited about my team because we have a strong squad … very offensive … the target is to speed up the game … it is very difficult if you always play against ten men defending … devotion … commitment … we have some things to improve but we are ready for it … it is units on the side … we attack with three or four players … it is not just about Marcus [Rashford] or Anthony [Gordon] … Declan [Rice] got a knock … he is ready to play and I would like to manage his minutes … and he has a yellow card … Jude [Bellingham] goes in the 8 position and Morgan [Rogers] in 10.”
Pre-match postbag. “How early in the game (assuming it is still goalless) do you think that you’ll receive an email bemoaning the lack of Foden/ Palmer/Alexander-Arnold in the squad? I give it 20 minutes” – David Wall
“A heads up from a veteran Concacaf viewer. In addition to Panama deploying a low block the England team can expect a steady diet of stud massages on their feet, ankles and shins” – Mary Waltz
“As the England starting XI clearly shows, the Three Lions are ready to face truth or Konsa Quansahs today” – Peter Oh
Panama have made three changes to their starting XI after the 1-0 defeat to Croatia. Fidel Escobar and Jorge Gutiérrez replace Jiovany Ramos and César Blackman at the back, while up front José Fajardo makes way for Tomás Rodríguez. Panama will hope to, at some point, send on Adalberto Carrasquilla, their beating heart and playmaker, who has yet to play at this World Cup.
As expected, England have made five changes to the side that started the goalless draw with Ghana earlier in the week. Reece James is hamstrung, so in comes Jarell Quansah at right-back. Nico O’Reilly reclaims the left-back spot from Djed Spence. Declan Rice is rested, to save his back; he’s replaced by Morgan Rogers in a more attack-minded midfield. And up front, Noni Madueke and Anthony Gordon are replaced by Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford, who livened things up late on against Ghana.
The teams
Panama: Mosquera, Murillo, Escobar, Cordoba, Andrade, Gutierrez, Martinez, Barcenas, Harvey, Jose Luis Rodriguez, Tomas Rodriguez.
Subs: Mejia, Samudio, Blackman, Farina, Carrasquilla, Diaz, Ramos, Davis, Fajardo, Waterman, Quintero, Godoy, Yanis, Londono, Miller.
England: Pickford, Quansah, Konsa, Guehi, O’Reilly, Bellingham, Anderson, Saka, Rogers, Rashford, Kane.
Subs: Rice, Stones, Dean Henderson, Trafford, Chalobah, Jordan Henderson, Burn, Mainoo, Gordon, Watkins, Madueke, Eze, Toney, Spence.
Referee: Abdulrahman Al Jassim (Qatar).
England have taken the weather with them. As you can ascertain from the photo, it’s been tipping down for hours in East Rutherford, New Jersey. A home from home, then! (If we factor out the current heatwave sweeping the UK, that is, but let’s not pull at threads, you get the gist.) Happily there’s no expectation of electrical activity or anything else that would cause Fifa to get their protocols on. The only stoppages tonight, god willing, will be those ever-popular Hydration Breaks. Small mercies.
It’d also be remiss of me not to mention the plight of Scotland.
Sigh.
They’re still not technically out of it, although they need Groups J, K and L to play nice if they’re to survive. The chances of that happening currently stand at a whopping 0.07%, but that last point-zero-seven chunk will be ruthlessly shaved off should Ghana fail to beat Croatia by at least three goals in tonight’s other Group L match. No point concerning ourselves with the other necessary criteria for survival just yet, then.
“Too right it’s on, Scott,” comes the brave response to all that from Simon McMahon. “I’ve got my Ghana, Uzbekistan, DR Congo, Algeria and Austria fifth-and-fifth scarf on already. Come on Scotland! It’s coming home, baby!”
As for England … well, small sample, but the ups have been more pronounced than the downs, to be fair. A win and a draw, enough to guarantee qualification for the knockouts after Spain’s victory over Uruguay last night. The first, albeit lowest, hurdle already cleared without too much undue fuss.
Here’s how Panama have done so far. If you’re going to lose both matches and not erode confidence, two gutsy displays against fancied opposition is the only way to do it.
That low block, then. It’s proving quite the puzzle. But don’t worry! Some of the top managerial minds in the world – Thomas Tuchel and Emma Hayes, to be precise – are on it.
England’s opposition tonight. Bone up on the team that started this tournament as the 33rd best in the world with our team and player guides. Start with their star man Michael Amir Murillo and click on through …
Rashford, Saka, Rogers and Quansah expected to start
… and there’s some early team news from our man on the spot. Over to you, Jacob Steinberg …
Hello from New Jersey. Word is filtering through that Marcus Rashford is to replace Anthony Gordon on the left when England face Panama later. Jarell Quansah is also expected to make his World Cup debut, replacing the injured Reece James at right-back. Bukayo Saka is in line to replace Noni Madueke and in an attacking move it seems Morgan Rogers will come in for the rested Declan Rice and link with Jude Bellingham as Tuchel tries to find a way to break down Panama’s low block.
Preamble
England recorded their biggest-ever World Cup win against Panama at the 2018 tournament. A 6-2 rout sent Gareth Southgate’s side on their journey to a fourth-place finish; Harry Kane’s hat-trick went a long way to securing his Golden Boot. And so here we are again … except last time, Panama were ranked 55th in the world, but now they’re ranked 42nd, and that after falling eight places in the wake of their 1-0 defeat to Croatia. Panama also gave Ghana a good game in their Group L opener, so while most observers expect England to do the business tonight, the current iteration of the Red Tide – runners-up to Mexico at both the previous Concacaf Gold Cup and Nations League – are no pushover. England will hope to bounce back from their struggles against Queirozball earlier in the week; should they do so, they’ll deserve the plaudits that will come their way, and hope it’ll be a good omen for another deep run. Kick-off is at 10pm BST, 5pm EDT, 7am AEST. It’s on!
