England kick off their Euro 2020 campaign on Sunday against Croatia, but who will start the first game for Southgate’s side?

After months of speculation as to who will this summer’s England squad at Euro 2020 we now finally know the confirmed 26. This then moves us on to the next point of who will start. Southgate played with a back three at the 2018 World Cup but has moved away from it recently.

However, there are some injuries in the squad to key players which could force his hand. In the squad, there are several players who you would expect to start, such as Kane, Rice, Walker, Stones. Other players and positions aren’t so straightforward and Paddy Power has some interesting prices as to who will be in the starting eleven.

 

Who Will Start For England Sunday?

Tyrone Mings – 11/10

The Aston Villa centre-half has a good chance of starting this Sunday with Harry Maguire not fully recovered from his ankle injury. Mings plays on the left-hand side, the same as to where Maguire plays. He could come in as a straight swap for the United captain, which would allow England to play as a back four. Recently though, Mings’ performances, especially for England have been a bit shaky and Southgate may prefer to play a back three. If so, this could still see Mings involved from the start but left of a back three as Southgate would want at least one left-footer in his back three.

Kieran Trippier – 5/4

Southgate is a big fan of the Atletico Madrid full-back, who played very well in the 2018 World Cup. The injury to Maguire increases Trippiers chance of starting also. Southgate has used Walker as a centre back before so could move him there and if they play a back three Walker will definitely be one of them. Either way, this would leave the right-back spot empty and with Alexander Arnold out it would be between Trippier and James. Trippier has far more experience than James and is also a very good set pieces taker as he showed against Croatia in the World Cup semi-final.

Jack Grealish – 5/4

This comes as a bit of a surprise that he is priced at 5/4 to start. He is one of England’s most exciting players and has shown throughout the Premier League season how dangerous he can be. In his recent performances for England, he has played very well and was even awarded Man of The Match in the last game against Romania. Grealish is versatile and has shown he can play in a midfield three as an attacking option, or in the front three running directly at players.

Jordan Henderson – 7/5

The Liverpool captain would be in the starting eleven if he was fully fit. He featured in the final warm-up game against Romania and has been in full training for a week now. Against Croatia is could be key for him to play, as he is very experienced and plays with a lot of energy which we will need against Modric and co. Depending on how Henderson trains this week and if he can prove his fitness, could determine whether he starts on Sunday.

Marcus Rashford – 5/6

The Man United winger has had the best season of his career in terms of goals and assists. However, his recent form has seen a lot of pundits question whether he should be starting at the minute. Rashford did start against Romania and was given the captain’s armband also. One thing he would bring is a lot of pace and a different way to play. You can play him in behind and stretch teams but he can also run directly at players, making him maybe even an outsider for top goalscorer.