Thomas Tuchel has a problem, and it’s at the worst possible time. England faces DR Congo in the World Cup knockout round Wednesday night in Atlanta, and the Three Lions’ right-back situation has gone from bad to borderline emergency. Reece James is out. Jarell Quansah is banged up. That leaves Djed Spence as the only natural option at a position that was supposed to be settled.
England topped Group L, but nobody in the camp is pretending the ride was smooth. A 4–2 opening win over Croatia felt like a statement, but then came the 0–0 draw with Ghana where England had 78.8 percent possession — a World Cup record for most possession without scoring — and a tepid 2–0 win over Panama that raised more questions than it answered. Now they face a DR Congo side that might be the tournament’s most dangerous lower seed.
How DR Congo Became Everyone’s Sleeper Pick
Sébastien Desabre’s team already proved it can hang with the big boys. A comeback draw against Portugal. A narrow loss to Colombia that could have gone either way. Then a 3–1 win over Uzbekistan where they trailed after ten minutes but stormed back with three second-half goals. This is DR Congo’s first World Cup appearance under that name (they played as Zaire in 1974) and they’ve already made the knockout rounds for the first time ever.
Yoane Wissa is the man to watch. He scored three of DR Congo’s four group-stage goals and leads the attack alongside veteran Cédric Bakambu. But the real subplot? Four of their projected back five have Premier League ties: Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Axel Tuanzebe, Chancel Mbemba and Arthur Masuaku all know English football. Noah Sadiki, who plays for Sunderland, slots into midfield. These guys won’t be intimidated by the Three Lions crest.
Tuchel’s Rotation Gamble and the Injury List
Declan Rice is expected to return after sitting out the Panama game to manage a calf issue. Bukayo Saka will start on the right despite nursing an Achilles problem. The midfield should feature Rice alongside Elliot Anderson, with Jude Bellingham playing in that advanced role where he’s looked dangerous but not quite dominant yet.
The back line is the real headache. Konsa and Guehi at center-back are fine. But at right-back, it’s Spence or nothing. Quansah picked up an ankle injury against Panama and Tuchel said it’s “a matter of days” but wouldn’t commit to him being available. James’ hamstring issue essentially ended his tournament. England has depth everywhere except this one spot, and DR Congo’s counterattacking threat makes it a glaring vulnerability.
Harry Kane leads the attack with two goals already. Marcus Rashford and Saka will flank him. But England’s possession numbers have been hollow against compact defenses, and DR Congo’s 5-3-2 shape is designed to clog the middle.
The match kicks off at Atlanta Stadium. Winner plays Mexico in the round of 16. Loser goes home. Simple as that.
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