Serie A stars dominate Croatia line‑up as England reshuffles

Under the bright lights of Kansas City’s training grounds on June 22, 2026, England manager Thomas Tuchel watches his squad fine‑tune a reshuffle ahead of the Group L clash with Panama, while Croatia prepares to face Ghana at 22:00 UK time, both matches completing the World Cup group. Croatia’s starting eleven features a heavy Serie A presence, with Milan midfielder Luka Modric, Como youngster Martin Baturina, Inter’s Petar Sucic, Torino’s Nikola Vlasic and Fiorentina defender Marin Pongracic all on the pitch. On the bench sits Atalanta midfielder Mario Pasalic, adding further Italian depth. Ghana’s squad also carries Serie A links, as forward Kamaldeen Sulemana, who plays for Atalanta, was left on the bench for the stalemate with England. A draw in the upcoming match would see both Ghana and Croatia advance to the Round of 32.

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England’s manager Thomas Tuchel has been forced to adjust his side after right‑back Reece James was ruled out by injury, making his availability for the Round of 32 uncertain. The reshuffle sees Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford and Elliott Anderson return to the lineup for the Panama encounter. The official line‑ups list Croatia with Livakovic in goal, a back four of Stanisic, Sutalo, Pongracic and Perisic, midfield anchored by Kovacic and Modric, and an attacking trio of Vlasic, Sucic and Baturina supporting Budimir up front. Ghana line‑up includes Asare, Senaya, Adjetey, Luckassen and Mensah in defence, with Partey, Owusu and Sibo in midfield and Sulemana, Ayew and Semenyo leading the attack.

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England’s eleven features Pickford between the posts, a back line of Konsa, Guehi, Quansah and O’Reilly, midfielders Anderson and Rogers, and a forward line of Saka, Bellingham, Rashford and Kane. Panama’s formation lists Mosquera in goal, a defence of Cordoba, Escobar, Harvey, Andrade, Murillo and Gutierrez, midfielders Martinez, J Rodriguez and Barcenas, and T Rodriguez as the striker. England entered the group having beaten Croatia 4‑2 in the opener, but a 0‑0 draw with Ghana has turned the group into a tighter contest. With both fixtures set for 22:00 UK time, the outcomes will determine which teams move on to the knockout stage.