England vs Croatia LIVE: Team news and predicted line-up before World Cup opener

England vs Croatia LIVE: Team news and predicted line-up before World Cup opener England finally get their World Cup campaign under way against Croatia in Dallas on Wednesday after lengthy preparation under the watchful eye of Thomas Tuchel Finally, it's England's turn. After six days of watching other teams, The Three Lions will take on Croatia in Dallas on Wednesday night. England have been in the United States for over two weeks, acclimatising and preparing for the World Cup. Now they will play familiar foes, Croatia. There was a blow on Tuesday as Tino Livramento was ruled out of the tournament with a calf injury and Trevoh Chalobah called up as his replacement. And there are four places in the starting XI still up for grabs, with Thomas Tuchel deciding to keep his players on their toes right up until the hours before kick-off. There are around 10,000 England supporters expected in Dallas, Texas, where high heat and humidity will be present. Thankfully for England's players, AT&T Stadium is one of those at the tournament with air conditioning. Follow the Mirror's live coverage for all the build-up before the game. Key Events England know all about Croatia. Mario Mandzukic's injury-time winner knocked the Three Lions out of the World Cup in the semi-finals at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. They've faced each other three times since then, twice later in 2018 in the Nations League, and once in the opening game of Euro 2020, when Raheem Sterling's goal gave England a 1-0 win. Bukayo Saka has been carrying an Achilles injury since March and there has been some doubt surrounding him of late. His performance in the Champions League final for Arsenal was criticised by some. But the winger is ready to fight for his place in the side, where he's under pressure from Arsenal team-mate Noni Madueke. "At the end of the day people don't really care how you're feeling, they expect you to deliver, they expect you to perform," he said earlier this week. "I'm happy to take that gamble and it paid off I'd say, and I'm going to continue doing that - but like I said I'm feeling a lot better than I did in March and I'm ready to go, so I'm excited." England started their preparations in Florida, where they underwent a pre-tournament training camp and played friendlies against New Zealand, Costa Rica and Miami FC. Acclimatising to the heat and humidity was of crucial important to Thomas Tuchel, who has embraced technology and sports science to give his players the best chance possible. From there, England flew to Kansas City, where they have based themselves at Swope Soccer Village and the Inn at Meadowbrook. The decision to base themselves in the centre of the United States was taken partly to reduce the travel distances, with their group games in Dallas, Boston and New Jersey. Tuesday brought bad news for Newcastle defender Tino Livramento, who saw a calf injury end his hopes of playing at a World Cup. The full-back was replaced by Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah, who Thomas Tuchel knows from his time in charge of the Blues. England vs Croatia, Dallas - June 17, 9pm England vs Ghana, Boston - June 23, 9pm England vs Panama, New Jersey - June 27, 10pm The fans who have made it to Dallas to watch this game have paid a pretty penny. Tickets were priced at £198, £373 or £523 by FIFA, while those who purchased through the official resale site will have paid much more, with FIFA taking a 15 per cent cut. Here is our best guess at England's starting line-up tonight. Pickford; James, Konsa, Stones, O'Reilly; Rice, Anderson; Bellingham, Gordon, Saka; Kane. As our chief football writer John Cross has written, there are four key decisions for Thomas Tuchel to make. Bukayo Saka or Noni Madueke? Anthony Gordon or Marcus Rashford? Jude Bellingham or Morgan Rogers? Ezri Konsa and John Stones over Marc Guehi? It's been a long time coming, but it's finally England's turn at the 2026 World Cup! Kick off is at 9pm this evening. We'll bring you all the build-up and atmosphere from Dallas.