England vs. Croatia: Arsenal star ‘struggling’ to prove fitness for 2026 World Cup Group L opener

England are sweating over the fitness of Arsenal star Bukayo Saka ahead of their opening Group L fixture at the 2026 World Cup against Croatia on Wednesday.

Saka is still feeling the effects of a troublesome Achilles issue sustained during the second half of Arsenal’s 2025-26 Premier League-winning campaign.

Following Arsenal’s Champions League final defeat to Paris Saint-Germain at the end of May, Saka was one of four Gunners players, along with Declan Rice, Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke, who arrived late to England's training camp ahead of friendlies against New Zealand and Costa Rica.

Head coach Thomas Tuchel revealed prior to England’s 3-0 win over Costa Rica that Saka had be playing through discomfort at Arsenal and he is unlikely to play the full 90 minutes in any of the Three Lions’ World Cup matches this summer.

Saka will almost certainly be Tuchel’s first-choice option to start on the right flank, but concerns have emerged over whether he will be fit to feature against Croatia in Dallas this week.

Madueke more likely to start for England due to Saka ‘concerns’

According to the Daily Mail, Saka’s fitness remains a concern, and while he did feature in last week’s 6-0 win over Miami FC in a behind-closed-doors practice game, he did not play for the majority of the match.

The report adds that Tuchel is more likely to use the 24-year-old as an impact substitute for now, with Madueke set to get the nod on the right wing.

Saka himself will still have hope that he can earn his 50th cap for England at some stage during the group stage, but it may not be from the start.

The Gunners star has scored 14 goals for his country in total, most recently finding the net in a 2-0 victory over Serbia in World Cup qualifying in November last year.

What other England dilemmas does Tuchel have ahead of Croatia clash?

Elsewhere, it is understood that Anthony Gordon is in line to start ahead of Marcus Rashford on the left wing for England’s opener against Croatia.

Gordon recently secured a £69m transfer from Newcastle United to Barcelona, where Rashford spent last season on loan from Manchester United.

As things stand, Gordon is said to offer both discipline and intensity from the start, allowing England to get a foothold in a game, while Rashford has the ability to produce moments of individual brilliance that Tuchel will want from his ‘finishers’ off the substitutes’ bench.

Tuchel will also weigh up whether to start Ezri Konsa and John Stones over Marc Guehi at the heart of England’s defence, while No.10 Jude Bellingham may be selected ahead of Morgan Rogers for the central attacking midfield position.