England Faces Right-Back Challenge at Azteca in World Cup Clash

High above Mexico City, in the thin air and thick noise of the Azteca, England are still trying to solve the same old problem down the right.

Jarell Quansah, a centre-back by trade at Bayer Leverkusen, is the latest to be pushed into the role of emergency right-back after Djed Spence reported a muscle niggle on Sunday morning. Spence drops to the bench; Quansah, only just back from an ankle injury suffered against Panama, is asked to go again in one of the most unforgiving arenas in world football.

He lasted an hour at right-back when Reece James’ hamstring gave way in the group stage. Now, with James still not fully training and again ruled out, England’s most fragile position is being tested at the worst possible time – a World Cup last-16 tie away to Mexico, in Mexico, at altitude, in a storm.

Thomas Tuchel has confirmed three changes from the 2-0 win over DR Congo: Quansah in for Spence, Bukayo Saka for Noni Madueke, and Anthony Gordon for Marcus Rashford. The England XI reads: Pickford, Quansah, Guehi, Konsa, O'Reilly, Rice, Anderson, Saka, Bellingham, Gordon, Kane.

Wing wars and Tuchel’s big calls

Out wide, this has become Tuchel’s chessboard. Gordon’s cameo against DR Congo forced his hand. The Newcastle winger changed the tempo of that last‑32 tie, stretching the game and playing a key part in the late surge that brought Harry Kane’s two goals. That impact has earned him Rashford’s place on the left, with their personal battle for that flank very much alive.

On the right, Saka returns. Madueke makes way, and with him some of the raw, unpredictable threat that Tuchel has occasionally leaned on. Saka, though, offers something else: discipline, structure, and an instinct to track back that may prove crucial against Mexico’s left‑sided danger.

Julian Quinones has three goals at this World Cup and operates in exactly the channel where England look most vulnerable. Dion Dublin, speaking on the Football Daily podcast, backed England’s right-backs – whether Quansah or Spence – to handle Quinones one-on-one, while suggesting Saka is the more reliable defensive foil ahead of them. Tuchel appears to agree.

Rice grits his teeth through the pain

In midfield, Declan Rice continues to play through hamstring and lower back pain. He anchors an England side that has looked far more convincing with him on the pitch than without him, yet every stride comes with a caveat. England’s injury list has been unkind in this tournament; their resilience is being measured as much by who can stay on the pitch as by who can win their duels.

Reece James remains the most significant absentee. The 26-year-old has missed the past two matches after a late hamstring problem against Ghana and was the only player missing from Saturday’s training session in Mexico City. Spence’s setback only sharpens the sense that right-back is being held together with tape and hope.

Kane in the form of his life

Up front, there is no such uncertainty. Kane’s numbers are outrageous. Since last August, the England captain has scored 72 goals in 62 games for club and country, and he has outperformed his expected goals by 22 – a chasm in statistical terms. No player in the last Premier League season beat their xG by more than six. Kane is blowing that benchmark apart.

He says he feels “as good as I’ve ever felt going on to the pitch”. The evidence backs him up. Even by his own elite standards, his finishing in 2025-26 has been ruthless. Chris Sutton expects England to create enough chances again and has tipped a 2-1 away win, with Kane converting a couple. Given the way the captain is striking the ball, that hardly feels ambitious.

Storms, altitude and Azteca ghosts

All of it unfolds against a wild backdrop. Hours before kick-off, the Azteca was already ringed by choking traffic and swelling crowds. The atmosphere has been building all day, the sense of occasion unmistakable.

Then the weather turned. Heavy rain lashed Mexico City, lightning forked around the stadium and a ‘shelter in place’ order went out in the area. Team arrivals were delayed. For a time, the match felt at the mercy of the skies.

Temperatures are not the issue – around 17 to 20C – but the altitude and the storms are. BBC Weather’s Simon King has warned of scattered thunderstorms around kick-off, though the risk should ease as the night wears on. The Azteca, always dramatic, has chosen to add a little theatre of its own.

England know this ground’s history better than most. Their last appearance here in a World Cup knockout match came in 1986, in that infamous quarter-final against Argentina and Diego Maradona’s “hand of god”. Mexico, meanwhile, have turned this place into a fortress in competitive football, losing here only twice this century.

A tie on a knife-edge

Tuchel’s side arrive as the toughest opponents Mexico have faced at the Azteca in years, yet they do so patched up, especially down the right. Whoever patrols that flank will spend the night wrestling with Quinones and the noise of 80,000 voices.

England’s attacking options, their form in the last 32 and the lethal edge of Kane suggest they can carve Mexico open. Their defensive frailties, their injury worries and the sheer hostility of the setting say this could go either way.

What is certain is that for Quansah, for Saka, for Gordon, this is no ordinary night. This is a World Cup last 16, in Mexico, under storm clouds and old ghosts, with a quarter-final in Miami against Norway waiting for the winner.

For a team still searching for a permanent answer at right-back, there are worse places to find out who can truly handle the pressure.