This week saw England overcome Mexico in the World Cup’s Last 16 to set up a mouth watering quarter final against Norway on Saturday.<\/p>\n
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Monday’s game at the Azteca, which saw England come away 3-2 winners, will go down in history as one of the Three Lions’ greatest-ever performances.<\/p>\n
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Forced to play with 10 men for 47 minutes after Jarrel Quansah was shown a red card, England managed to withstand a Mexican barrage to book their place in the next round.<\/p>\n
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And one player will be particularly grateful for his teammates’ efforts.<\/p>\n
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Reece James set to return against Norway<\/h2>\n
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Reece James hasn’t featured since England’s third group stage match after he picked up a hamstring injury against Ghana.<\/p>\n
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There was hope the Chelsea captain could make his return against Mexico after scans came back positive, but Monday’s clash came a little too soon. The 26-year-old was only deemed fit enough for the bench but failed to feature.<\/p>\n
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But with Quansah now suspended for the Norway game, Thomas Tuchel will be hoping to call upon James for the third time in the tournament.<\/p>\n
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How England could lineup with James back<\/h2>\n
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With such limited options at right-back after Tino Livramento got injured on the eve of the tournament, James’ availability has become even more important.<\/p>\n
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The position as a whole has become a bit of a curse for Tuchel, who has continually been forced to tinker with his defence.<\/p>\n
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But now at the business end of the tournament, the German won’t want to keep disrupting his plans and pre-match preparations.<\/p>\n
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James is undoubtedly the country’s best right-back, but his problem has always been staying fit. A demanding tournament like the World Cup was always going to prove difficult for the Chelsea man.<\/p>\n
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However, with just three games potentially to go, James will be hoping his body can hold up long enough for the Three Lions to finally end 60 years of hurt.<\/p>\n
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Looking ahead to Saturday when England will be tasked with stopping Erling Haaland, should James be fit enough to start, Tuchel will immediately recall the 26-year-old to his starting lineup.<\/p>\n
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England’s predicted lineup against Norway<\/h3>\n
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James should start at right-back and be joined in defence with a familiar centre-back pairing of Ezri Konsa and Marc Guehi with Nico O’Reilly at left back.<\/p>\n
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It would be surprising if Tuchel named any more changes to the team that started against Mexico.<\/p>\n
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Jordan Pickford<\/strong>; Reece James<\/strong>Ezri So<\/strong>Marc Guehi<\/strong>Nico O’Reilly<\/strong>; Elliot Anderson<\/strong>Declan Rice<\/strong>Jude Bellingham<\/strong>; Anthony Gordon<\/strong>Bukayo Of<\/strong>; Harry Kane<\/strong>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Follow<\/span>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/assets.minutemediacdn.com\/platform\/google_discover_icon.svg\"){kind=icon}
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