England got some genuinely good news ahead of Wednesday’s World Cup semi-final against Argentina. Declan Rice is expected to be available after spending most of the three days before the quarter-final bedridden with a stomach bug, plus battling calf issues and lingering neural pain in his hamstring and lower back throughout the tournament.
The Arsenal midfielder looked spent when he came off at halftime in Saturday’s tense quarter-final win over Norway in Miami. Thomas Tuchel said it was a tactical switch, bringing on Eberechi Eze, but Rice clearly wasn’t himself. He barely made it out of the stadium without collapsing from exhaustion, according to people who were there.
But once England got back to their Kansas City training base after that extra-time win — sealed by two Jude Bellingham goals — Rice started feeling better. Standard Sport understands he’s on track to start in Atlanta against the defending champions.
Tournament of Survival
This hasn’t been a smooth ride for Rice. He was subbed off in England’s group opener against Croatia and got rested entirely for the Panama match. The stomach bug hit hard before Norway, keeping him in bed for most of the three days leading up to the game. The calf problems and the nerve pain in his hamstring and lower back have been a long-term thing, not just a tournament issue.
Rice is England’s vice-captain and pretty much irreplaceable in midfield. His availability for a game this big matters. Argentina are the reigning champions and they’re not going to make things easy.
One weird detail: the referee from that Norway-Brazil match in the round of 16, an MLS official, also worked the Netherlands-Japan draw and Spain’s win over Uruguay. He awarded two penalties to Brazil before Norway pulled off the upset. He’s not scheduled for this semi-final, which is probably a relief for everyone involved.
Kickoff is Wednesday night at Atlanta Stadium. Rice is reportedly ready to go. England will need him.
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