England will hope to avoid the anguish suffered by Germany and the Netherlands this week, as they bid to keep their World Cup dream alive against DR Congo.
The African nation are England’s opponents in the round of 32, but have shown that they’re no pushovers, having held Portugal to a 1-1 draw earlier in the tournament.
Thomas Tuchel’s side have questions to answer after looking nowhere near their peak so far this summer. Most recently, the Three Lions saw off Panama but Tuchel is still looking to get the best out of his talented squad.
A defeat against Congo would lead to a major inquest, but the German will hope to avoid the fortunes of his compatriots and echo what France did with their emphatic victory on Tuesday against Sweden. England still have issues defensively, owing to injuries to key players, and there are calls for Tuchel to rejig his midfield.
Stay tuned as Mirror Football brings you all of the build-up to the 5pm kick-off.
New UpdatesToday07:14 BST
Good morning and welcome to our live blog ahead of this evening’s game between England and DR Congo.
We’ve got lots of stuff to keep you going until kick-off, so do stick with us!