England can potentially seal their spot at the World Cup on Tuesday evening as they travel to Latvia and it appears that they will have captain Harry Kane to call upon for the game
Thomas Tuchel has confirmed that Harry Kane CAN play for England against Latvia. The Three Lions captain was a major doubt heading into the current international break, having picked up an injury during his most recent outing for Bayern Munich.
The problem was severe enough to see the forward sidelined for last week’s friendly against Wales. But with Kane having since returned to training, boss Tuchel has confirmed that he is fit and ready to take to the pitch on Tuesday as England take on Latvia.
“It’s very easy with Harry, he can play, he is fit,” Tuchel said. “We did the right thing. Top in training and ready to go.
“And I don’t see why he should not be able to play 90 minutes. The pause was just a short pause for him. He played all matches before with Bayern, so I don’t see any obstacles there.”
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While Kane’s availability is a positive for Tuchel and England, the German has been forced to put up with a few withdrawals over recent days. Ollie Watkins – who scored against Wales – was forced to pull out of the squad following a heavy collision with a goalpost at Wembley. On the Aston Villa striker, Tuchel said: “Ollie left camp, unfortunately, it was too painful. He could not train with us, so he is in treatment with his club and tries to get ready for the weekend. That’s basically it. Everyone else is with us.”
Meanwhile, Bayer Leverkusen Jarell Quansah has also withdrawn due to a knee injury. A statement from England read: “Jarell Quansah will miss England’s forthcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Latvia through injury.
“The Bayer Leverkusen defender returned to his club as a precaution following Thursday’s 3-0 victory over Wales. No further squad additions are planned at this moment in time.”
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Tuchel added: “He [Quansah] pulled out [of training] today at short notice. He has inflammation on the patella tendon and couldn’t train.”
England’s upcoming clash with Latvia could see them finally secure their place at next summer’s World Cup. A win in Riga would seal a ticket to the tournament following Serbia’s defeat to Albania earlier in the international break.
A draw wouldn’t quite be enough but it would put them on the verge of a World Cup place, meaning they would only need a point during the November internationals.
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