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Arsenal star provides injury update after appearing to limp off in England’s win vs Croatia

18 June 2026 at 09:51

Declan Rice has insisted he only went off as a precaution in England’s 4-2 win over Croatia in their opening World Cup 2026 group game.

Arsenal and England fans will no doubt have been concerned to see the midfielder appearing to limp off when he was subbed by Thomas Tuchel with 20 minutes to go.

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World Cup news has only really been positive for England so far, with the team avoiding injuries to key players and gelling really well in an impressive victory against a tough opponent in Croatia last night.

And it seems Rice’s injury is not a major concern either, with the 27-year-old insisting he’s fine and he’ll be back for the next game against Ghana.

Declan Rice calms injury fears after England beat Croatia

Speaking after the game, as quoted by the Metro, Rice sounded upbeat and explained that he only went off as a precaution due to carrying a minor niggle for some time.

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“All good, good as gold,” Rice said to ITV.

“Just what I’ve been nursing probably in the second half of the season, little neural pains here and there, but I’m all good.

“All fine, just precaution and I’ll be back out there against Ghana.”

Declan Rice delivers again with assist and solid display

Rice is Mr Reliable for club and country, and WhoScored had him down as one of England’s top performers in last night’s win, with a 7.6/10 rating.

The Gunners midfielder always plays with great energy, doing his defensive work whilst also driving the team forward with his range of passing and ball-carrying ability.

On top of that, he picked up an assist with one of his trademark corner kick deliveries, which Harry Kane headed in.

Needless to say, Rice is not a player England would want to be without for long, so it was probably sensible from Tuchel to remove him early just to be on the safe side.

The post Arsenal star provides injury update after appearing to limp off in England’s win vs Croatia appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Bellingham or Rogers? How England could line up for World Cup 2026 opener vs Croatia

17 June 2026 at 15:47

England start their World Cup 2026 campaign tonight with their Group L clash against Croatia at 9pm.

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The big team news questions mainly surround Jude Bellingham or Morgan Rogers for the attacking midfield role, while Thomas Tuchel also has decisions to make in central defence, and wide on the left.

While we think there’s a serious case for Tuchel to go for form over names by picking Aston Villa star Rogers over Real Madrid Galactico Bellingham, it’s perhaps hard to imagine the Three Lions boss taking a big gamble like that for the toughest opponent in the group.

??????? We're all agreed this should be England's first XI for this World Cup, right? ? pic.twitter.com/wBow9ROpLB

— CaughtOffside (@caughtoffside) June 12, 2026

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Likewise, we suspect Tuchel will also opt for experience at the back, with John Stones over Ezri Konsa alongside Marc Guehi in central defence.

England predicted line up to take on Croatia

See below for prediction for how England could line up against Croatia this evening…

England look strong with this line up, but there’s always the possibility that Bukayo Saka’s fitness could be a problem, perhaps meaning a starting spot for Noni Madueke.

Saka has been a world class performer for Arsenal and England down the years, but he has had a few more fitness problems after playing so many games in recent times.

On the other flank, Anthony Gordon has done well after recently becoming more of a key player for England, but Marcus Rashford also goes into this tournament in fine form after a strong loan spell at Barcelona.

The Manchester United outcast is another player who might also be worth choosing for his experience, but we expect Gordon is slightly ahead in the pecking order right now due to his direct style, pace, and work-rate.

The likes of Harry Kane and Declan Rice are surely certain to start whatever happens, but it will be interesting to see if they play the full 90 minutes in the blistering heat that has been touted as a bit of an issue in the US.

What do you make of the possible England line up and are you confident about the game? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

The post Bellingham or Rogers? How England could line up for World Cup 2026 opener vs Croatia appeared first on CaughtOffside.

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