Bukayo Saka is expected to be given a wide attacking role on the right in what will be considered a confident attacking selection by Gareth Southgate.
Saka’s strong start to the season has earned him a starting spot against Iran at the Khalifa International Stadium.
Saka’s cameo appearance as a substitute in the Nations League draw with Germany may have persuaded Southgate that he needs to start.
He has also been in confident and consistent form for Premier League leaders Arsenal this season, scoring four goals and providing six assists.
Saka’s selection suggests that England will field a back four, with three attacking, creative players flanking captain Harry Kane.
The match against Iran is likely to come too soon for both James Maddison and Kyle Walker, who are suffering from knee and groin injuries, respectively.
On Maddison’s fitness, Southgate said on Sunday:
He hasn’t been able to train, so that is a slight concern. The longer that continues, the longer it will take him to be available for the matches.
But we’re not expecting him to miss training for much longer and we’ll just have to assess it from there.
Southgate added:
He’s close, he’s training with the group, so he’s slightly ahead of where we thought he might be.
He’s an incredible athlete anyway, so he’s got some natural advantages that one or two other players haven’t got.
But also, the rehabilitation link between ourselves and Manchester City’s medical team has been excellent throughout.
We are really pleased with his progress, we didn’t expect him to be training with the team until after first game and he’s a couple of games ahead of that.
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