With a place in the round of 32 virtually certain, Tuchel may use the Panama game to shuffle his deck, though he has warned against making too many changes at once. The German said: "I am not shy to do some rotation now. Some players should be on the pitch but maybe it will be more moderate. It’s not always fair if you just rotate your players in and say: 'OK, let’s perform.' We'll see."
If James and Rice are deemed unfit to start, Tuchel has several contingency plans in place. Ezri Konsa could be asked to shift to right-back, while Manchester City youngster Nico O’Reilly and United's Kobbie Mainoo are waiting in the wings. There is also a temptation to shuffle the pack to protect Rice from a potential suspension, as he is currently one yellow card away from a one-match ban.