James Maddison or Kyle Walker will not be available for England World Cup opener against Iran today.
Maddison hasa slight knee issue, which has kept him out of some of England’s training sessions in Qatar.
Gareth Southgate has confirmed the Leicester midfielder will not feature in Monday’s Group B clash.
The 25-year-old, who was a surprise inclusion in the England squad for the World Cup,
has been struggling since limping off during Leicester’s win over West Ham in the last weekend of Premier League fixtures before the tournament.
Walker is still working his way back to fitness after groin surgery.
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Southgate:
“In terms of player availability, everyone is available apart from James Maddison.”
“It is a little bit early for Kyle Walker although that’s ahead of where we thought he would be at this stage so that’s positive.”
Harry Maguire is expected to start in defence despite his struggles for Manchester United.
With no Reece James in Qatar, Kieran Trippier is set to start at right wing-back and Luke Shaw will start at left wing-back.
Jude Bellingham is expected to start alongside Declan Rice in midfield, while Southgate is likely to stick with Raheem Sterling despite his struggles at Chelsea this season.
England predicted XI (3-4-3):
Pickford;
Stones, Dier, Maguire;
Trippier, Bellingham, Rice, Shaw;
Saka, Kane, Sterling.
