According to reports, Tottenham Hotspur star Djed Spence is set to start for England in their World Cup round of 32 tie against DR Congo.<\/p>\n
Over the weekend, England<\/strong> <\/a>beat Panama 2-0 to seal top spot in Group L and a simpler route to the final of the World Cup.<\/p>\n The Three Lions are now finalising their preparations for their round of 32 tie vs DR Congo, while matches against Mexico, Brazil and Argentina await in the later rounds.<\/p>\n However, head coach Thomas Tuchel<\/strong><\/a> has had several selection headaches at the start of the World Cup, and this is partly due to injuries.<\/p>\n England have mainly have been impacted by right-back, with Tino Livramento ruled out of the tournament before Reece James missed the group game against Panama.<\/p>\n In James\u2019 absence, Bayer Leverkusen star Jarell Quansah, who is a natural centre-back, filled in at right-back, but he was forced off during the Panama match with a twisted ankle.<\/p>\n READ: Is Bellingham still \u2018divisive soloist\u2019 and \u2018angry young man\u2019 who England shouldn\u2019t have taken to World Cup?<\/a> And ahead of Wednesday\u2019s match against DR Congo, journalist Jacob Steinberg has told The Guardian that<\/a> Quansah is \u2018likely to miss\u2019 this game, while James back will also be unavailable for the game and is also \u2018increasingly unlikely\u2019 to feature in the round of 16 against Mexico or Ecuador.<\/p>\n Without these two players, it is hardly surprising that Steinberg insists Spence is the \u2018favourite\u2019 and is \u2018expected to start\u2019 at right-back against DR Congo.<\/p>\n England given Declan Rice \u2018boost\u2019<\/p>\n Still, there is better news regarding Rice after he was rested for the Panama match, with Steinberg stating that the Arsenal midfielder is \u2018to return\u2019.<\/p>\n
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