England prepare to face DR Congo in first World Cup knockout game

England must get past the Democratic Republic of Congo on Wednesday to reach the World Cup’s next stage. ITV News’ Sports Editor Steve Scott looks ahead to their first knock-out match of the tournament

England is preparing to face the Democratic Republic of Congo in Atlanta on Wednesday, in their first knockout game of the World Cup.

After winning 2-0 against Panama to secure the top spot in their group, England head into the knockout stages looking to keep themselves on course to deliver their first trophy since 1966.

However, manager Thomas Tuchel has previously warned England will be “punished” if they start to look beyond this knockout match.

If England do win, they’ll face either Mexico or Ecuador at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City in the early hours of Monday morning.

While the starting lineup for Wednesday’s game is yet to be announced, midfielder Declan Rice is expected to return after missing the Panama match due to a minor hamstring injury.

ITV News took a look at the Atlanta Stadium, which is set to host around 67,000 fans on Wednesday. We saw how the 70,000 capacity venue had been changed to accommodate the larger pitch required for a World Cup football match.

Good Morning Britain Correspondent Ashna Hurynag takes a look inside the Atlanta Stadium ahead of England’s match against DR Congo

Lining up against the Three Lions will be several familiar faces.

Amongst those likely to start for the African side are Aaron Wan-Bissaka of West Ham and Burnley’s Axel Tuanzebe, both of whom suffered relegation to the Championship with their teams in May.

Yoane Wissa of Newcastle – who is the team’s top scorer at the tournament – Sunderland’s Noah Sadiki and Watford’s Edo Kayembe have also helped the side to some eye-catching results in the group stage.

They opened their campaign with a 1-1 draw against Portugal before recovering from defeat to Colombia to claim a first World Cup win since 1978 against Uzbekistan, a 3-1 comeback victory, sending them through.