Tuchel hands out England debut and surprise start against Andorra

Thomas Tuchel has made some surprise selections in his England starting XI to face Andorra in Saturday’s FIFA World Cup qualifier.

Elliot Anderson has been handed his senior international debut and will play alongside Declan Rice in the middle of the park, pipping clubmate Morgan Gibbs-White.

The Nottingham Forest midfielder played for Scotland at youth level before switching allegiance to the country of his birth, earning 12 caps with the U21s.

Former Manchester United attacker Marcus Rashford will make his first start for the Three Lions since the 2-0 win over Malta in November 2023, surprisingly getting the nod ahead of Newcastle United ‘s Anthony Gordon on the right wing.

Dan Burn will form a central defensive partnership with Marc Guehi, despite the Magpies centre-back saying he believed he was in competition with the Crystal Palace captain for a starting role in the England team.

Myles Lewis-Skelly slots in a left-back despite not starting a game for Arsenal in the Premier League this season.

Tuchel insisted in his pre-match press conference on Friday that he would not be experimenting with lineup or resting players ahead of next week’s encounter with Serbia.

“There is no balance, the competition is on and it is World Cup season,” the German said.

He added: “We will not get caught up in experiments and everything that counts is today and tomorrow and then we will do our assessment after the match to see who is available.

Read – Thomas Tuchel discusses key England selection dilemma

England starting Xi vs Andorra : Pickford; James, Burn, Guehi, Lewis-Skelly; Rice, Anderson; Rashford, Eze, Madueke; Kane.

Substitutes: Konsa, Gordon, J. Henderson, D. Henderson, Spence, Rogers, Livramento, Gibbs-White, Loftus-Cheek, Watkins, Bowen, Trafford.

Read – The late Premier League transfers confirmed after Deadline Day

See Also – Every Premier League team to break their transfer record this summer

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube | TikTok

FIFA World Cup England Harry Kane Andorra Thomas Tuchel Elliot Anderson Declan Rice Marcus Rashford

Lionel Messi does not completely rule out reaching the 2030 World Cup with Argentina: Lionel Messi hasn't ruled out playing in the 2030 World Cup with Argentina, despite his age. The tournament will be hosted across six countries, including Argentina, to mark the centenary of the first World Cup.

Arsenal given encouraging Viktor Gyokeres verdict after what he did for Sweden: Arsenal's Viktor Gyokeres assisted Yasin Ayari's goal in Sweden's 2-2 World Cup qualifier draw with Slovenia. The striker played 90 minutes, impressing against former transfer rival Benjamin Sesko.

Staking a claim: 5 Saudis to watch as World Cup preps heat up: Saudi Arabia faces North Macedonia and Czechia in key friendlies ahead of World Cup qualifiers. Players like Moteb Al Harbi, Al Juwayr, and Al Buraikan aim to impress manager Herve Renard for starting spots.