England possible starting lineup for game 1 of the group stage vs Iran
Who will Gareth Southgate select for England’s first game of the World Cup?
England take on Iran in their World Cup opener at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha on Monday. The last time England played a football match together was *checks notes* in a 3-3 draw against Germany... eight weeks ago. The hectic Premier League action has cut England’s training schedule down to fit on a post-it note so the game against Iran will be the first time since September that the Three Lions squad will kick a ball and have another team trying to take if from them.
The Nations League campaign was quite the disaster for England, with them going winless, being relegated to Group B and not scoring a goal in open play until that crazy 3-3 against Germany. Their form guide has a distinct lack of green and reads: LDDLLD. Things can only improve, it seems.
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The first thing to note is that it isn’t entirely clear as to whether Southgate will go with a back 3 or a back 4. Given the injury to Kyle Walker, Trippier will most likely play as a right-sided full-back with Shaw on the opposite flank, but who goes in between is anyone’s guess. Two of Maguire, Shaw and Stones will be in the XI. If I had to choose (and I do), given Iran’s comparative strength, it may seem more plausible that Southgate opts for a back 4 and plays an extra midfielder/attacker.
Looking at the midfield, Kalvin Phillips is a doubt due to a lack of minutes, although Southgate values highly the partnership between the ex-Leeds United man and Declan Rice. Jude Bellingham is another name on everyone’s lips, and strong performances for Dortmund mean that he is probably going to feature from the start. James Maddison is the other doubt, having not trained the last 2 days, but he was never likely to find a place in the starting XI.
England’s predicted XI:
- Pickford; Trippier, Stones, Maguire, Shaw; Rice, Bellingham; Sterling, Mount, Foden; Kane
England’s schedule and group in the 2022 World Cup
Group B: United States, Wales, Iran
November 21
8 a.m. ET England vs Iran
November 25
12 noon ET England vs USA
November 29
12 noon ET Wales vs England