England are hours away from their Round of 16 clash with Mexico at the Azteca Stadium and one report has claimed they already know Thomas Tuchel‘s lineup for the game.

The Three Lions roared back in the second-half to beat DR Congo in their last World Cup outing, with Harry Kane producing another masterclass to overturn an early one-goal deficit.

Mexico arrives in brilliant form too, producing a tournament-best performance against Ecuador last time as the co-hosts harnessed the power of their exceptional home crowd to progress.

England’s ‘Leaked’ XI vs Mexico

England players pose for a team group photo before the match vs DR Congo via REUTERS/Paul Childs

However, Tuchel’s starting 11 has been supposedly ‘leaked’ by Football Insider, revealing several notable calls in attack, whilst sticking with the same defence that played in their win over the African country.

The big calls come in attack, with Anthony Gordon set to be rewarded for the substitute performance that saw him produce two assists for Kane and help England progress from a tricky situation.

Whilst on the other wing, Arsenal‘s Bukayo Saka will reportedly be reinstated to the lineup in place of Noni Madueke, who has struggled to truly impact proceedings.

At the back, it’s as you were. Fans were curious about the inclusion of Reece James after he missed the previous outing, but Djed Spence and Nico O’Reilly look set to continue.

Despite Declan Rice filling in at right-back against Congo, he starts in midfield with Elliot Anderson. According to Football Insider, anyway.

Alan Shearer Favours Gordon and Saka But Makes Big Call

If the ‘leaked’ lineup is to be believed, it would almost match former England striker Alan Shearer‘s favoured XI for the game — as he too agrees with the Saka and Gordon additions.

Where the two differ is in defence. With Spence starting the previous game, the Tottenham defender is in contention but came under criticism in both his starts against Ghana and Congo.

Shearer suggests that John Stones is reintegrated into the team to bring that calmness and experience, whilst Ezri Konsa is shifted to right-back to give England that added layer of security against a lively Mexico side. It’s a role that Konsa has played for Aston Villa as well as England, with Wales in late 2025 being the last example.

Right-back has been an issue for Tuchel given Tino Livramento was forced out of the squad, Jarrell Quansah suffered a knock and his first-choice right-back James was unavailable for the Ghana victory.

James missed the final session before Mexico but Quansah is available for selection, giving Tuchel some respite.

Manchester United are interested in signing one Chelsea star in the summer transfer window.

Signing multiple midfielders has always been United’s biggest priority in the upcoming transfer window.

Unfortunately, they have already missed out on two of their key targets, with Mateus Fernandes joining Tottenham and Elliot Anderson joining Man City.

With Casemiro heading through the exit door and Manuel Ugarte suffering a serious injury, United need to bring in multiple midfielders in the coming weeks.

A deal is in place for United to bring Atalanta midfielder Ederson to the club, but it is yet to be confirmed, with the Brazilian currently competing at the World Cup.

Their search for new midfielders continues, and they’ll be hoping to no longer miss out on key targets.

Man Utd Eyeing Chelsea Star

via Reuters

According to a report from the Guardian, Manchester United are interested in signing Chelsea midfielder Andrey Santos in the summer transfer window, who is valued in the region of £50m.

Santos, described as world-class by former manager Liam Rosenior, is open to leaving Chelsea in the summer in order to get regular minutes.

The Brazilian midfielder is currently behind Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez at Stamford Bridge, and Chelsea need to bring in funds in order to help Xabi Alonso strengthen his squad.

Whether United will be able to offer him guaranteed minutes remains to be seen, but it would certainly be the case at the moment, considering they have missed out on targets.

England‘s last-16 tie with Mexico at the Azteca Stadium has been handed to Alireza Faghani — a referee who has already drawn heavy criticism at this World Cup for one of the tournament’s most contentious calls.

The 48-year-old Australian official, taking charge of his third World Cup after appearances in 2014 and 2018, steps into a fixture already overshadowed by kick-off time chaos. FIFA briefly proposed moving the game forward six hours before reverting to the original schedule following pushback from the FA over fan travel plans.

However, following the controversy surrounding Ilgiz Tantashev’s refereeing in France’s win over Paraguay, there will be a lot of eyes on Faghani in what are said to be trying conditions amidincredible home support that will meet the English.

Controversy Involving Faghani and Kylian Mbappe

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Vincent Carchietta

The Kylian Mbappe penalty call that sparked outrage at the time in France’s 3-1 group-stage win over Senegal is certainly a key moment to analyse ahead of the England clash.

Mbappe scored twice on the night but was denied a clear chance at a hat-trick when he went down under a challenge from Sadio Mane inside the box. Faghani waved play on in real time, then reviewed the incident on the pitch-side monitor — and still opted against a penalty, instead awarding Senegal a goal kick.

The decision triggered immediate backlash from current and former officials, with many questioning how a monitor review failed to overturn the call. This is the 48-year-old’s third World Cup after receiving call-ups to the 2014 and 2018 editions.

His reputation is that of an experienced and respected referee, but the moment in the group stages was certainly an error on his part.

Strong Reaction to Baffling Decision

Kyle Ross (IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters)

Darren Cann, who ran the line in the 2010 World Cup final, said the reaction from within refereeing circles was immediate, with several of the sport’s most respected officials reaching out to say they couldn’t make sense of the no-penalty verdict.

Former Tottenham midfielder Jamie O’Hara was blunter in his assessment on air, calling it “one of the worst decisions I’ve ever seen.” He went on to question how the tournament could let it slide, adding that Faghani simply wasn’t up to the standard required.

With that history now attached to Sunday’s appointment, both England and Mexico will be hoping they’re not left facing a repeat at the Azteca — especially in a game with quarter-final qualification on the line.