Tuchel has only selected one natural centre-forward for the latest set of qualifiers, with England already assured of passage to next summer's World Cup. Captain Harry Kane got the nod once again, having reached 23 goals across all competitions for Bayern Munich and 13 in the Bundesliga so far this season. Kane's fiery run of form is giving hope to England fans that football will finally come home in 2026.
There is also a fear, though, that a sudden injury blow to the Three Lions captain could spoil their chances of glory in North America, and as a result, Tuchel has been advised to protect the star attacker as much as possible.
In an exclusive interview with GOAL, former England striker Fraizer Campbell said: "It’s a difficult one. You have got [Ollie] Watkins, who is a quality player but he’s not in the same bracket as Harry Kane yet. It would be an issue. We have got a lot of good, technical 10s who could potentially play higher up the pitch like a false nine. [Marcus] Rashford has played No.9 before and he’s doing well this season. It would be a big miss for us, but we would have to cope somehow. Maybe come the start of next year we just wrap him in cotton wool and tell him not to play too much for Bayern!"