England vs DR Congo Predicted Lineups & Team News

By winning Group L at the FIFA World Cup, England have set up a contest against DR Congo in the round of 32, which takes place on Wednesday (12pm local time/5pm BST, BBC One) in Atlanta.

Read on for all the latest England vs DR Congo team news and predicted lineups.

England

Reece James and Jarell Quansah are both out of action for England on Wednesday due to injury, so Djed Spence looks set to be the starting right-back.

Nico O'Reilly will patrol the left side of the defence, with Marc Guehi and Ezri Konsa partnerting each other in the heart of the back line.

Three Lions' boss Thomas Tuchel is likely to stick with Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka out wide, while star players Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham should continue in attack.

Declan Rice is expected to return from injury to partner Elliot Anderson in midfield, which would likely see Morgan Rogers drop down to the bench.

DR Congo

DR Congo have no injury concerns heading into Wednesday so we're expecting the Leopards to go full-strength against England. Manager Sebastien Desabre might consider reverting his system back to a 5-3-2 as this was their shape against both Portugal and Colombia.

This means that Steve Kapuadi is set to be restored to the starting XI, likely at the expense of Brian Cipenga.

Newcastle United striker Yoane Wissa has three goals at the tournament so far, including a brace against Uzbekistan last time out. He'll continue to link up with fellow centre-forward Cedric Bakambu in the final third.

Remember you can bet on this match and check out all of the live England vs DR Congo Odds over on betfred.com

England vs DR Congo Key Players:

Jude Bellingham (England)

Kane and Bellingham are the two star players in this England team but it's the latter who has been the standout during the group stage. He's been playing at a level that has been clear of his teammates, and the others will need to fix-up quickly if the Three Lions are serious about going all the way in this tournament.

Bellingham scored and assisted in the last match against Panama and he now has three goal involvements in North America. He's the driving force for England and he's the one that DR Congo need to be prepared for the most.

Yoane Wissa (DR Congo)

After a disappointing debut season with Newcastle, Wissa has rediscovered his confidence representing his country at the World Cup. The DR Congo front man has three goals to his name so far, including a brace last time out.

His first came on matchday one as the Leopards salvaged a point against Portugal, and the Selecao das Quinas struggled to deal with Wissa in that game. Considering England's defence has had quite a number of vulnerable moments this summer, Wissa is a player who will punish any mistakes they make.

For all of our coverage and betting markets for the festival of football this summer, please check out our World Cup Odds over on betfred.com