England and Argentina will face off in the second semi-final of the World Cup on Wednesday night at 1 am Bangladesh time. England will make a last-minute decision on whether Declan Rice is fit to start the crucial match. However, there is hope that the midfielder will recover from his illness in time to take the field tomorrow night.
Rice had been suffering from stomach problems even before England’s 2-1 quarter-final win over Norway in Miami last Saturday and was substituted at the end of the first half of that match.
After the game, head coach Thomas Tuchel admitted that Rice had been bedridden for three days before the match, which went into extra time.
It’s understood that Rice has not yet fully recovered from the illness, which he contracted while in Mexico, where England beat Mexico 3-2 in the round of 16.
However, his condition has improved significantly over the past 48 hours, and there are strong hopes he will be fit enough to start Wednesday night’s match in Atlanta.
Rice continues to work on getting himself match-fit given the importance of the game, but England’s medical team will make the final call on his participation at the last minute.
Meanwhile, Tuchel also wants to monitor how quickly Rice’s condition improves before making a final decision on his involvement. In addition to the stomach issue, Rice has reportedly been dealing with a separate fitness problem over the past few months.
The Arsenal midfielder, who has 78 international caps, has started every England match at this World Cup except one, missing only the 2-0 group-stage win over Panama due to a worsening injury concern.
