England will look to avoid becoming the latest heavyweight casualty at the FIFA World Cup when they face the Democratic Republic of Congo on Wednesday, while co-hosts the United States prepare for what many consider the most significant match in the country’s modern football history.
The knockout stage has already produced major upsets, with Germany and the Netherlands crashing out in the Round of 32 following penalty shoot-out defeats to Paraguay and Morocco respectively.
With the surprises mounting, England manager Thomas Tuchel has urged his players not to underestimate a DR Congo side carrying little pressure and plenty of belief.
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“I feel it is a privilege to be in these situations. I think we can just accept it, we are the favourites,” Tuchel said.
The former Chelsea and Bayern Munich coach, however, warned that the margins at this stage of the tournament remain extremely fine.
“The games so far in the Round of 32 speak a very clear language. It’s narrow, narrow margins,” he added.
England continue their pursuit of a first major international trophy since the 1966 World Cup triumph and will once again rely on captain Harry Kane and midfield talisman Jude Bellingham.
However, the Three Lions will be without influential defender Reece James, who has been ruled out through injury.
DR Congo have emerged as one of the surprise packages of the competition, assembling a squad drawn from football academies and clubs across Europe.
Twenty members of the 26-man squad were born outside the country, with many having roots in France and England.
Forward Yoane Wissa is familiar to English supporters through his Premier League exploits, while defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka represented England at youth level before switching allegiance.
Former Manchester United defender Axel Tuanzebe also featured for England’s youth teams before opting to represent DR Congo.
Coach Sébastien Desabre insisted his side has already exceeded expectations.
“Our World Cup is already a success relative to our goals,” he said.
“The pressure is on the England team.”
Attention will also focus on the United States as the hosts prepare to face Bosnia-Herzegovina in a contest expected to attract one of the largest television audiences in American football history.
Reports suggest as many as 30 million viewers could tune in for the prime-time encounter in the San Francisco Bay Area.
The Americans are seeking their first World Cup knockout victory in nearly 25 years and hope a deep run at the tournament can further accelerate football’s growth in the country.
Midfielder Gio Reyna acknowledged the significance of the occasion.
“Everyone knows in the back of our minds what this could do for this country,” Reyna said.
“We feel the country rallying around us. We see the momentum it’s bringing to the sport in this country.
“But we also understand if we make a nice run in this tournament, what it could really do for the sport.”
Elsewhere, Belgium’s experienced stars, including Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku, face a difficult test against Senegal in Seattle.
France strengthened their status among the favourites on Tuesday after Kylian Mbappe scored twice in a 3-0 victory over Sweden, while Norway booked a historic place in the last 16 following Erling Haaland’s decisive goal against Ivory Coast.
