England's final warm‑up before the World Cup arrives this week, as the Three Lions host Costa Rica in a friendly that will serve as the last chance for manager Thomas Tuchel to sharpen his side before the tournament begins.
A Crucial Warm‑up
In their last three outings England have alternated between a 1‑1 draw with Uruguay, a 1‑0 defeat to Japan and a 1‑0 victory over New Zealand, illustrating both progress and areas needing refinement.
Arsenal’s midfield duo Declan Rice and forward Bukayo Saka have been called up, while Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke also earned spots, adding depth to the squad.
Saka is currently under observation for an Achilles issue, while goalkeeper Jordan Pickford and backup Dean Henderson are both in contention to start between the posts.
Manchester City’s Phil Foden, despite his club form, was omitted from the tournament roster as Tuchel experiments with alternative options.
Tuchel has indicated that key players will be given 60‑70 minutes of action to build match sharpness ahead of the group stage encounter with Croatia.
With the World Cup group stage looming, the friendly serves as the final opportunity to lock in strategies and fine‑tune set‑piece routines before the team faces its first opponents.