PREVIEW: England defend top spot in Group L against Panama
· Yahoo Sports
England hope to finish top of Group L and bounce back from a disappointing draw against Ghana with a win over eliminated Panama in their final World Cup group game.
Thomas Tuchel’s side remain unbeaten this world cup but will hope to put out a better performance than they did last time out in their goalless draw with Ghana. If England win against Panama, they will most likely top the group.
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However, Ghana can top the group if they beat Croatia by enough goals.
Panama are playing in the World Cup for the second time in their history. They have failed to pick up a single point on either occasion, and will face an uphill battle if it is to come against England.
They have also failed to score a goal thus far.
England will hope to top the group for a second tournament running in the hopes of a more favourable Round of 32 fixture. However, with Panama only losing 1-0 to both the other sides in Group L, England will have to perform.
The two sides have met before in the 2018 World Cup group stage. England dominated that day with a 6-1 victory and captain Harry Kane scoring a hat trick. Panama scored their first ever World Cup goal in this game
Panama have improved since then in 2018 they were 55th in the FIFA rankings whereas they currently are 34th. In their opening game against Ghana, they looked the more dominant side but were beaten after Ghana scored in the 95th minute.
Croatia also limped over the line against Panama, as they mustered just two shots on target in their 1-0 win.
However, due to losing both their opening games Panama are already eliminated and are playing to earn their first points at a World Cup.
Many England fans will expect to see a rotated side with reports suggesting both Declan Rice and Reece James are fitness concerns. After a poor display against Ghana, it would not be a surprise if Tuchel was to change it up.
One player who may feel he deserves a chance from the start is Marcus Rashford who scored in England’s opening game from the bench, while Kobbie Mainoo could step in for Rice and Ezri Konsa may fill in at fullback.
This would mean John Stones would come back into the starting eleven and line up with his Marc Guéhi.
As for Panama, it will be interesting to see who manager Thomas Christiansen selects up top. In their opening game against Ghana, he started Cecilio Waterman but against Croatia he was dropped and replaced by José Fajardo.
England fans will expect no less than a win in the final group stage game. The Three Lions have only lost one of their third group games in the last 14 tournaments. This came against Belgium in 2018.
The game will get underway at 22:00 (BST) with live coverage available on ITV and ITVX.
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