Stones Set for Croatia Clash as Tuchel Prepares World Cup Opener

England's preparations for the World Cup, kicking off in just over a week's time, have provided a glimpse of Thomas Tuchel's intended starting lineup, with Manchester City defender John Stones widely expected to take the field against Croatia in Dallas.

The Three Lions arrive as tournament favourites, tasked with navigating a group that also includes Ghana and Panama. Croatia represent their sternest test in Group L, though the Balkan side are a shadow of their former selves.

With squad numbers now official, journalist Henry Winter has offered insight into Tuchel's thinking. Stones, assigned the No.5 shirt, was spotted training at West Palm Beach on Tuesday. "Expected to start v Croatia in Dallas," Winter noted on X. "Poignant moment. Stones trained in Miami before 2014 World Cup, standby player, one cap v Ecuador, his second, and then flew home. 85 appearances later … big player for #ENG."

It's a curious selection on the face of it. Stones has endured an injury-disrupted campaign at the Etihad and will depart City once his contract expires later this month. Meanwhile, Marc Guehi and Ezri Konsa have flourished for England whilst delivering consistent club performances—the Aston Villa man particularly hard done by if left on the bench.

Yet Kane appears entirely comfortable with Tuchel's vision. The Bayern Munich striker has lavished praise on his new manager's appointment, crediting the German's methods for his own development in Bavaria. "At Bayern, I loved his personality, his ideas for the team, and the way he got me playing," Kane reflected. "In a way, he brought those methods to the national team."

The England captain has set an ambitious benchmark for the summer's mission. "The ambition is to win it, obviously, that has to be our goal," he declared. "We know it will be difficult, but we have been close in recent years—two Euro finals, a World Cup semi-final, and a quarter-final. This year, we will have a new coach, new players. It is exciting, even if this kind of competition generates a lot of pressure."

Kane's individual ambitions are equally grand. Speaking to L'Equipe ahead of linking up with the squad, the striker suggested a World Cup triumph could propel him into Ballon d'Or contention. "With the season I've had—three trophies, the numbers I've reached—I think I'll be in that conversation," he said. "If I win the World Cup on top of that, you would imagine it would be one of the England players. When you look at past winners, it comes down to the big games and big tournaments. Add that on top of what I've achieved this year, I think I'll be up there."