England stumble to Ghana draw with Rice and James now doubts

Ghana blank England in World Cup stalemate

Your team hit a wall. England 0–0 Ghana in the group stage, and now it gets tense (1) (2) (3). A win would have locked up top spot in Group L. Instead, Panama on Saturday becomes a match your team cannot afford to lose.

Ghana sat deep and made it work. Declan Rice did not sugarcoat it: "It's always difficult when you play against eleven behind the ball. Give credit to Ghana, they were very compact. It was tough" (9). Jurgen Klopp, watching on, had his own take: "Thomas Tuchel is an outstanding coach. Outstanding coaches sometimes have a draw. That's crazy, huh? Yeah, it's crazy!" (1).

Saka returned to normal training before the match after managing an Achilles issue, and Tuchel may start him against Panama. But the manager is wary of loading too much on him. "We need him desperately," Tuchel said (4).

Rice and James doubts for Panama

Two fitness clouds hanging over Saturday. Reece James looked uncomfortable during the Ghana match and Declan Rice has been managing hamstring neural pain since Christmas, playing through it for club and country (3) (5) (8). Both will be assessed ahead of the Panama game (3).

Kane eyes another Panama hat-trick

Harry Kane scored a hat-trick against Panama at the 2018 World Cup. He is not picky about how it happened. "A couple of pens and a lucky goal. It wasn't my most beautiful hat-trick. I'll take that again on Saturday, for sure" (10). England need that kind of output.

Anderson close to record City move

Elliot Anderson is nearing a British-record £130m switch from Nottingham Forest to Manchester City, with further talks planned in the next 24 hours (13). Forest have already rejected two offers. The England midfielder missed out on this World Cup squad, but the numbers being discussed are enormous.

Chalobah attracts Como bid

Trevoh Chalobah has a concrete offer on the table. Como have made a bid for the Chelsea defender, currently with England at the World Cup (14). Inter have also shown interest. A decision waits until after the tournament.

Refereeing under the microscope

Scotland and England decisions at this World Cup have raised questions about FIFA's directives to officials (11). The talking point is not going away.

Fan reactions

Fans on Reddit are split between concern over the Rice and James fitness news and excitement about the Anderson transfer fee. The £130m figure has drawn a lot of double-takes, especially given Anderson is not at the World Cup. See the discussion on r/soccer.