England’s final game at the 2014 World Cup will be against Costa Rica on Tuesday, with manager Roy Hodgson to make multiple changes to his starting lineup, bringing in a host of fringe players for what will be a difficult game for the Three Lions, with their South American adventure already at an end.
England will play no further part in the tournament, with their group stage exit confirmed by Costa Rica’s shock 1-0 win over Italy on the weekend, but Hodgson’s men can have no excuses, having lost both their opening fixtures in South America.
Hodgson has confirmed that he will make as many as nine changes to the starting lineup, with England playing for pride against Costa Rica, who are guaranteed qualification following successive wins over the Azzurri and Uruguay.
Costa Rica Team News:
Possible XI (3-4-2-1) – Navas, Duarte, Gonzalez, Miller, Gamboa, Borges, Tejeda, Diaz, Brenes, Campbell, Ruiz
Despite securing qualification to the next round, Costa Rica will be looking for the win in the Estádio Mineirão, as they will top Group D if they grab all three points.
This means both Joel Campbell and captain Bryan Ruiz should start the match, but could come off in the second half, with manager Jorge Luis Pinto looking give his key players some rest ahead of the knockout round.
England Team News:
Possible XI (4-2-3-1) – Foster, Jones, Smalling, Cahill, Shaw, Wilshere, Lampard, Lallana, Barkley, Milner, Sturridge
Only Gary Cahill and Daniel Sturridge will keep their places in the England starting lineup, with a host of names to make their first appearances of the tournament on Tuesday.
Frank Lampard will lead the side, and 18-year-old Luke Shaw will make his competitive international debut at the back for the Three Lions.
Soccerlens Prediction: Costa Rica 2-2 England
While on a normal day, England would be expected to roll over the ‘minnows’, but considering both the nature of this World Cup, and how well Costa Rica have performed so far against world class opposition, this could well end up a draw.
Key World Cup links:
Costa Rica World Cup 2014 Team Page.
England World Cup 2014 Team Page.
World Cup 2014 Matches – Fixtures & Results
World Cup 2014 Player & Team Stats
World Cup 2014 Group Tables
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Our main World Cup 2014 news page.
The Official Soccerlens World Cup Predictor Game.
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