England
After a brilliant opening game in which England threatened to run riot in the second half against Croatia in Dallas, the English found themselves immensely frustrated in their next two group stage matches – albeit Thomas Tuchel’s side did manage to finish at the top of Group L.
Following on from a goalless draw against Carlos Queiroz’ Ghana in their second game in Boston, England were then held to that same scoreline at half-time against Panama. Goals from star men Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane did eventually get them a shaky three points in the second 45 minutes, though.
Injuries & Team News
England team talk has been dominated by one area and one area only – the right-back position – after Jarell Quansah joined Reece James on the treatment table with the ankle injury he picked up against Panama.
Tuchel is optimistic that the Bayer Leverkusen defender will be back up and running in a few days, but the same is unlikely to be true for the injury-plagued James, so Djed Spence will almost certainly start out wide on Wednesday night.
Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford should have also done enough to reprise their roles on the flanks – fitness-permitting – while Kane is now chasing another Lineker record; the Bayern Munich man has scored three WC knockout goals for England, half the total of the 65-year-old.
Form
| Last Match | Last 6 Matches |
|---|---|
| 2-0 Panama | L W W W D W |
Predicted Line-Up
Predicted XI (4-2-3-1):
Pickford; Konsa, Stones, Guehi, O’Reilly; Anderson, Rice; Saka, Bellingham, Gordon; Kane
DR Congo
Congo DR fall into the category of a side that will perform in the exact same tactical way to Ghana and Panama but are perhaps a touch more efficient and impressive on the counter-attack, as they showed in a 1-1 draw with Portugal whereby they had just one fewer shot than the Portuguese despite having only 25% of the ball.
Injuries & Team News
Meanwhile, DR Congo have reported no physical concerns before their first World Cup knockout game, in which Desabre could revert to the 5-3-2 shape he deployed against Portugal and Colombia after switching to a 4-4-2 against Uzbekistan.
Number nine Brian Cipenga is likely to make way for centre-back Steve Kapuadi if that is the case, while at the other end of the pitch, Mayele has made his case to start over Cedric Bakambu after his goal on matchday three.
However, Desabre should still lean on the experience of 35-year-old Bakambu alongside Wissa, who has scored more goals at the World Cup (2) than he did in the whole of the 2025-26 Premier League (1).
Form
| Last Match | Last 6 Matches |
|---|---|
| 3-1 vs Uzbekistan | W D L D L W |
Predicted Line-Up
Predicted XI (3-5-2):
Mpasi; Mbemba, Tuanzebe, Kapuadi; Wan-Bissaka, Sadiki, Moutoussamy, Mukau, Masuaku; Wissa, Bakambu
Betting Odds
| Team | Odds | Bookmaker |
|---|---|---|
| England Win | 3/10 — (1.30) | Grand Ivy |
| Draw | 4/1 – (5.00) | Dream Vegas |
| DR Congo Win | 12/1 – (13.00) | 247Bet |
Prediction
England 2-0 DR Congo
England will be pleased with this draw knowing full well that the tournament will get a lot harder should they come through this fixture. DR Congo have already held a talented Portugal side but the surprise factor has gone now and England should be too good.