England

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England midfielder Declan Rice, asked if he feels more confident since winning the Premier League title: "I came in to this tournament with bundles of confidence. In my fist two seasons at Arsenal we lost the he title narrowly. I remember saying at the PFA awards [ceremony] last year that you need to go through little losses in life in order to win big. I felt at Arsenal that was coming.

"We have got over the line and I come into England with a spirng in my step, a real confidence. For sure I can bring that to this tournament. As the games go on and we keep playing agaisnt good oposition, you will see the best of me."

England

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England midfielder Declan Rice, speaking on his progression as a player since he started played in the national team:

"Since I came in to the England set up, there was no guarantee that I was going to be in the squad. It was always on merit, if I was playing well for West Ham.

"Over time, playing every season at a consistent level, playing for England is the biggest privilege in football. Luckily I've made the squad every time since I made the switch [from representing Ireland].

"It will be my 75th cap if I play so I'm going to be ready for that. Long may this journey continue."

England

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England midfielder Declan Rice, asked about former team mate Thomas Partey and the 'winning and losing points' of tonight's match:

"I played with Thomas at Arsenal, really good player. I've played against lots of the Ghana team.

"From the clips [I've seen] I know they are going to bring strength, pace and they will want to hit us on the counter attack.

"We need to be ready for everything, but having played against those players, I already know what is going to be coming."

Ghana

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Ghana midfielder Thomas Partey says he is ready to face England after being denied entry to Canada for the Black Stars' World Cup opener.

The former Arsenal player, 33, missed Ghana's win against Panama last week because of ongoing criminal proceedings in the UK.

Partey pleaded not guilty to seven charges of rape and one count of sexual assault relating to allegations by four different women between 2020 and 2022 and is scheduled to stand trial next year.

He was denied entry to Canada after telling officials he had never been arrested or charged with a crime, but is expected to feature against England in Boston on Tuesday.

"It's part of football," the Villarreal player said.

"Things happen outside football that you cannot control. For me now, I feel OK and ready to play."

In a statement, US customs and border protection (CBP) said last week: "The US is aware of the pending court case for Mr Partey.

"However, at this time, he has not been convicted of a crime and was admitted to the United States after being issued a visa."

Ghana head coach Carlos Queiroz said his players were "fully motivated" to face England.

"This is the easiest type of match, because when you're about to play against England, France or Germany, you don't need to say anything to the players," he added.

"Everybody is fully switched on and everybody wants to perform well."

England

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England boss Thomas Tuchel on the connection between his players and the fans after their first match:

"It is something very special and I think and know that it was a special moment. I'm just so glad that the fans in the stadium felt and saw what I feel and see on a daily basis, since he have been together.

"I feel exactly that kind of energy and quality and team spirit and commitment and I think this is what the fans saw and felt and this kind of energy created the synergy at the end of the match, for a very special moment.

"That is what you dream of as a player, when you represent your country, you stand in front of your fans and you sing together. That's the beauty of sport and what it is all about."

The time in Boston is just past 8am and for those players, coaches, fans and media over in the United States, England's matchday is just getting started.

Join Mark Chapman on BBC Radio 5 Live as he spends the next couple of hours looking ahead to this evening's match.

He's joined in Boston by former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson and Phil Neville, former England player and former Lionesses manager.

Ex-England stars Matt Upson and Alan Shearer will be joining the conversation later.

You can stream on BBC Sounds or hit 'listen live' at the top of this page.

England

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England boss Thomas Tuchel on Jude Bellingham:

"Everything is down to him. Everything you see is down to him.

"It's his talent, his ability, it is the moment where he loves to compete and he fully buys into the idea that we do this as a team and that is why he is with us."

England

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England boss Thomas Tuchel on the hydration breaks during matches:

"I think that it interrupts and changes the identity of a football match much more than I thought. I had hydration breaks before when it was really, really hot and needed, but they were shorter. They were shorter and they were just in a few matches. In the interests of fairness here, it is now done in every match for every team.

"It breaks the match almost in four quarters. And I think it changes the characteristic of the match more than I thought.

"I like football when it is played in one go, in one half. It is hard to build momentum and keep the momentum."

England

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England manager Thomas Tuchel, asked if he is reducing the 'fear factor' and pressure surrounding the England team:

"I hope so. I feel the excitement and pressure but I feel we have so many winners and players who are experienced to cope with the pressure. The next level, I mean the World Cup, it can feel quite emotional to represent your country and play in an England shirt.

"It's a beautiful thing that our fans know it means so much for the players to represent the Three Lions. You can at some points feel the tension and pressure. I hope we can cope with it, accept it and turn it around.

"One of our key principles is to behave, train and play in a manner where it is always 0-0. No matter what. The next pass, tackle, action counts. To reduce it and not only look at the bigger picture, to reduce it in to action and to have a clear plan to follow.

"It helps a lot that we have the spirit to help each other out. No one is afraid to make mistakes any more, it's a part of the beautiful game. It is how you react and help each other. From there it is easier to cope with and maybe embrace the pressure."

England

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England manager Thomas Tuchel, asked about Bukayo Saka:

"That is the other big competition on the right wing, between Noni [Madueke] and Bukayo. They do it at Arsenal as well. They do it with respect for each other. The way they push each other in training, sometimes on opposing teams, sometimes in same position if we go through patterns. It's just a pleasure to see.

"Bukayo is getting better and better. He is more free in his movement, he feels no more pain. He was able to do both of our last two days of training at the highest level. He is ready to go, without telling you if he will start or not."

England

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England manager Thomas Tuchel, speaking about the wingers Marcus Rashford and Anthony Gordon: "They have an amazing dynamic. They compete for one place, but the way they compete is as friends and teammates. They compete on a high level of respect, that is what I see in training.

"I was happy the fans could see the level of commitment and friendship. Everyone was happy when Marcus scored and Anthony was on of the first ones out of the bench to congratulate. That is the spirit that everyone buys in to. That is the way to go forward."

England

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England manager Thomas Tuchel, asked about the mindset of his attacking players: "I am very lucky because my players arrived with this mindset. I didn't have to get them in to it. Now it the difficulty is to keep them in the mindset. A very famous conductor said "I don't want to disturb the music and I don't want to disturb the musicians" and that is what we try and do, not disturb the players and the match, just encourage them to play with freedom, especially in attack.

"It is quite impressive how the players also buy in to the idea of defending together and that is what we did in the second half [against Croatia], we pushed out constantly in to a high press. That is what we will try [against Ghana] but the game will play out it itself. We cannot predict what is happening.

"I predict a bit of a different game to Croatia because of the different approach, but who knows. We have to be ready to find answers to any questions asked tomorrow."

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England manager Thomas Tuchel on Ghana: "The counter-attack is one of the threats. They play with a lot of physicality and speed. [They have] Individual quality and they don't mind if they have less of the ball because they burst into high speed attacks and play very direct on the ball. They are not shy to use long balls.

"It is a different approach to the last match but that is the beauty of it; playing different cultures and approaches to matches. It's on us to adapt and bring strength and adapt to their strengths. We need a top performance if we want to win."

England

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England manager Thomas Tuchel, asked about the team for tonight's match:

"Everyone is available.

"We had a big influence from the subs [v Croatia] which we really appreciate and it proves how everyone buys into the idea. They came in and gave everything to decide the match.

"We need exactly that."

England

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England manager Thomas Tuchel, asked to clarify what he meant by 'we have a point to prove':

"We have to and want to prove to ourselves that we know what makes us strong. We know the capability and potential of the players. We believe and trust in this group. Tomorrow is the next game and there is no other thought in our minds. We take it step by step, as boring as this may sound, but this is the way to go.

"Like I said, this is a different game to Croatia. We have to be ready. It feels like full belief and trust from my side. Let's see tomorrow."

England

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England manager Thomas Tuchel, asked about Ghana's motivation for the match and England's own motivation: "Bad news for Ghana; we will also be motivated. I see no reason why we wouldn't. We play on the biggest stage and we want to prove a point to ourselves. That is where we are and who we are. There is no advantage, there cannot be any advantage [to Ghana].

"I still believe we play in one of the strongest groups in the World Cup. It started with a top 10 opponent and continues with Ghana who are traditionally a top footballing nation. They have outstanding players and with a new coach they have a new formation, a solid block. They will ask difficult questions and will make life hard for us. We both have three points we both want to take the next step and we will battle for the win."

Terry Butcher
Ex-England captain on BBC Radio 5 Live

If England can get the goals early, they can hopefully ease up a bit.

I think there will be changes from [Thomas] Tuchel in the starting 11 from the first game and I think he will look at the defence, the defence was vulnerable.

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