England will play against the Democratic Republic of Congo at the World Cup on Wednesday. They want to reach the last 16. At the same time, co-hosts the USA are getting ready for a major match in their football history.
Some big teams have already left the tournament. Germany and the Netherlands lost on penalties in the last 32 to Paraguay and Morocco. England does not want to be the next team to go home.
The Three Lions are looking to end a 60-year wait for a major trophy. Coach Thomas Tuchel warned his players about facing a team in Atlanta that has nothing to lose.
"I feel it is a privilege to be in these situations. I think we can just accept it, we are the favourites (against DR Congo)," Tuchel told reporters on Tuesday.
But he also said, "the games so far in round of 32 speak a very clear language. It’s narrow, narrow margins."
England will depend on their top players Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane. However, they will miss key defender Reece James due to injury.
DR Congo has searched the football world for players with connections to the country. Among the 26 players in their squad, 20 were born outside of Congo. Most of them were born in France, including forward Yoane Wissa, who is familiar to English fans from the Premier League.
Defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka was born in London and played for England at the under-21 level. Axel Tuanzebe also played for England's youth teams.
DR Congo coach Sebastien Desabre said the pressure is on England. He noted that many experts did not expect his team to come out of their group.
"Our World Cup is already a success relative to our goals," the Frenchman said on Tuesday. "The pressure is on the England team."
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