England's Guehi, Rice & James all train before Norway game
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- Marc Guehi will undergo a fitness assessment Friday after being diagnosed with a hamstring strain — not the muscular fatigue initially suspected — following England's 3-2 win over Mexico, with his involvement against Norway hanging in the balance
- Reece James returned to full training Thursday for the first time since suffering a hamstring injury in the goalless draw with Ghana, though he did not complete the entire session and will be monitored for after-effects
- Declan Rice missed a second successive day of training due to a sickness bug that has compounded a pre-existing neural issue affecting his hamstring and lower back, with England taking steps to prevent the illness spreading
- Jarell Quansah has been hit with a two-match ban following his red card against Mexico, removing him from contention for the quarter-final and deepening England's right-back shortage
- Djed Spence was potentially the only natural right-back available before James's return, after Tino Livramento suffered a pre-tournament calf injury and Trevoh Chalobah was called into the squad as his replacement
- Thomas Tuchel can call on John Stones, Dan Burn, and Chalobah at centre-back should Guehi miss out, but cannot afford fitness gambles against seven-goal tournament top scorer Erling Haaland
Why it matters: England's defensive depth is stretched to breaking point at the worst possible moment — first-choice centre-back in doubt, first-choice right-back just back from injury, and a starting midfielder battling illness — and Tuchel must navigate all three against a Norway side led by Haaland, who has scored seven goals at the tournament.
