Croatia

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Croatia captain Luka Modric has weighed in on the debate over whether or not Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham should be named in Thomas Tuchel's starting 11 this evening.

Modric, now at AC Milan, played alongside Bellingham during the Croatian's final two years at Madrid before moving to Milan and described Bellingham as one of England's "phenomenal players."

“I do not like to meddle in the decisions of Thomas Tuchel. England have great players, they are phenomenal players,” he said.

“I have played with Jude for two years and I know what sort of top-notch player he is and a character as well. He is a great threat to us.”

Phil McNulty
BBC Sport chief football writer at Dallas Stadium

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Jonsey: Phil. Modric looking like he'll never lose his spark and a few other impressive names on their team sheet. What is the feeling from Croatia fans and pundits you may have spoken to?

Hello, Jonesy. Luka Modric is incredible isn't he?

Forty years of age and still a class act.

The Croatians are always confident, as they should be having reached the final and semi-final in the last two World Cups. They have experience and quality with other players such as Josko Gvardiol and Mateo Kovacic and something special can happen when this proud country gets together as a national team.

Very dangerous opposition not to be taken lightly.

Here is why England will get to wear a gold patch on their sleeves during the World Cup...

Phil McNulty
BBC Sport chief football writer at Dallas Stadium

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Joey: Who do you think England's standout player will be this World Cup?

Hello, Joey. Let’s not go for the obvious, likely, names like Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham.

I think the World Cup is the stage for Declan Rice to confirm he is a world-class midfielder, as he was for Arsenal last season.

Joe Hart
Former England goalkeeper on BBC Radio 5 Live

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I've always talked about my journey with Harry Kane and when he came into the England team. When we came back to camps, I kept thinking he was getting better.

I thought I had a decent deck when it comes to people I faced in training, like Aguero, Gerrard and Rooney, but I was thinking he was getting better and better. He is elite focused.

I had some time away from the England squad and saw his numbers get better and I thought 'what an incredible killer'.

When I went back to Tottenham during covid, I thought he can be the number one [he faced].

As a confident goalkeeper, I put myself into the best positions, where I know how he could beat me, but I knew it was the hardest finish. Harry would do it.

It got to the point where I wasn’t even diving for his shots. He was a person I adored but he frustrated the hell out of me!

I left Tottenham in 2022, and even now he's got better. I speak to Vincent Kompany about him and he said he's getting better.

What an absolute unbelievable player. He is super human.

Phil McNulty
BBC Sport chief football writer at Dallas Stadium

Image source, Getty Images

Ric: Why would Thomas Tuchel not call up Trent Alexander-Arnold in place of Tino Livramento... One (likely) injury now to James and we have Spence / Quansah to deal with Mbappe, Nico Williams et al.

Hello, Ric. He prefers to have another central defender and seems confident either Quansah or Spence can cover at right-back.

Like his defensive selection in general, I believe this is pretty risky and would put a lot of responsibility on the shoulders of Quansah, who is a very much a central defender by trade.

Phil McNulty
BBC Sport chief football writer at Dallas Stadium

Image source, Getty Images

Simon: Why has Thomas Tuchel selected a centre back (Trevoh Chalobah) to replace a full back when we had several quality full-backs available to call on such as Trent, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Lewis Hall?

Hello, Simon. I was a little surprised by Trevoh Chalobah’s call-up, but Thomas Tuchel likes his physical central defenders and he clearly feels he can cover at full-back.

He said the selection would free up Jarell Quansah as a full-back on both sides and Djed Spence can do the same.Tuchel will hope the does not have to put that to the test and that Reece James stays fit and Nico O’Reilly flourishes at left-back.

What it also told us is that it seems pretty clear Trent Alexander-Arnold has a very bleak England future as long as Tuchel is in charge.

Joe Hart
Former England goalkeeper on BBC Radio 5 Live

Image source, Getty Images

Thomas Tuchel has said England’s identity on the pitch won’t be shaken by conditions they are playing in, and Joe Hart told BBC Radio 5 Live that the Three Lions boss has been "smart" with his squad planning.

"Ideally, we want to see them play flowing football and play people off the park that culminates in Harry Kane scoring a hattrick every single game," said Hart.

"Thomas Tuchel knows full well they're going to have to scrap, to fight tooth and nail.

"I think Thomas Tuchel has been really smart, he's got a worst case scenario on that pitch where he thinks England can win.

"When they're at their worst, he still thinks they can win.

"If you flip that and everyone does find their form, and England play well, they can smash the majority and can beat the very good.

"He’s got brilliant a worst case scenario, dogging out a 1-0 or a scrappy 2-1, but he's also got best case scenario of everyone finding form and blowing people out the water."

Don't forget you can listen along to live commentary of England v Croatia on BBC Radio 5 Live this evening.

Right, that's the dreaded 'Will England win the World Cup?' question out of the way.

It is now only a matter of hours until England take to the pitch for their World Cup opener against Croatia. What's on your mind?

Send your burning questions to Phil by clicking that big yellow button that says 'Get Involved' and we'll get to as many as we can.

Cheers!

Phil McNulty
BBC Sport chief football writer at Dallas Stadium

Image source, Getty Images

Susan: England can pull this off. No more club rivalries as seen in the past. Tuchel was right to leave out Foden. Putting the best team together isn't the same as selecting the most talented players and hoping they can play well together, a mistake made by previous England managers.

This is Tuchel’s strategy. Best team not necessarily best players.

If we are looking for a reference point (from a long time ago admittedly) Sir Alf Ramsey said exactly the same thing while planning for the 1966 World Cup win.

And to use a phrase Thomas Tuchel likes, “proof of concept” will come with results. Always the only real measure.

Phil McNulty
BBC Sport chief football writer at Dallas Stadium

Image source, Getty Images

Alex: With the firepower up front, including a front-runner for the Ballon d’Or in Kane, goals are likely, but how do you rate us defensively?

My biggest area of concern, Alex. Goalkeeper, midfield and further forward in the pitch all looks good to me, but my worry is that John Stones and Reece James have had injuries recently.

I think the defence will be well protected by Declan Rice and Elliott Anderson but just have that nagging worry about the defence. Let’s hope I’m wrong.

Pickford; James, Konsa, Guehi, O'Reilly; Anderson, Rice; Saka, Bellingham, Gordon; Kane.

This is the eleven Paul Robinson has picked, opting for Konsa instead of Stones and Gordon out wide.

"I think Jude Bellingham has shown in the past two warm-up games why he should start for England. It is so close between him and Morgan Rogers," said Robinson

"I fully expect John Stones to play, but I would actually go with Ezri Konsa and Marc Guehi at the back, but so many of the others pick themselves."

Image source, BBC Sport

Phil McNulty
BBC Sport chief football writer at Dallas Stadium

Image source, BBC Sport

Jeuel: There are rumours that Guehi is not going to start tonight despite being England's best centre back. What could be the thinking behind this?

Hi, Jeuel. My colleague Sami Mokbel has reported that this is likely to be the case. I believe, if this is the pick, that it is because Tuchel prefers the arguably more physical, powerful style of Ezri Konsa to Marc Guehi. My view?

I would play Guehi alongside John Stones and believe he would be incredibly unlucky to be left out.

Phil McNulty
BBC Sport chief football writer at Dallas Stadium

Dave: Is this a game where England score early and allow fans to breathe a bit, or are we expecting 87 minutes of emotional damage first?

I wish I could answer you with certainty, Dave, but I can't. I was at the press conference with Thomas Tuchel and Harry Kane last night.

Both were in quietly confident mood. We know from past history just how important the first game in any major tournament is, so England will be desperate to get off to winning start.Words of warning though - never, ever under-estimate Croatia, especially not against England.

One of the many thousands who have decamped to Dallas is BBC Sport's chief football writer Phil McNulty.

He has been waiting patiently for his chance to answer your questions.

Over to you Phil...

England

It's always important to remember that every England player would more than likely be cheering England on, if they weren't playing in the matches....

Both players and fans have been waiting patiently for this evening's opener, but that waiting is almost over.

Tonight, just before 21:00 BST, six days after the tournament began, the Three Lions will walk out at the Dallas Stadium for their opener against Croatia.

It is difficult to predict how many England fans will turn up, draping the St George's Cross around the stands.

The official England Supporters' Travel Club (ESTC) has sold its allocation of 4,022 tickets. Controversially, a few appear to be listed on Fifa's resale site at inflated prices.

The number of fans who travel independently and the ex-pats is really an unknown.

The United Kingdom Football Policing Unit (UKFPU) told BBC Sport that between 12,000 and 15,000 England fans are expected at each group stage game.

The UKFPU added that 89,000 World Cup tickets have been purchased by fans from England.

That covers all 104 matches and there is no individual breakdown, while most fans will attend more than one fixture.

But that number does not include the supporters who have headed out to the United States without securing tickets.

Germany in 2006 was the high point, with the UKFPU estimating that 350,000 people made the short trip to watch games in stadia but mostly at fan parks.

Only 4,000 are thought to have visited Qatar four years ago, while 20,000 to 30,000 is a more usual figure.