England's Phil Foden on the clamour for him to start, speaking to the BBC: “I’d seen a lot of media attention towards me to start. It’s hard to get away from that. I just like to keep my head down and when I get the opportunity, not overthink things, play how I normally play and play my football.

“[Gareth Southgate] said to all the attackers that we’re going to get our chance and I think we’ve all played now. We have to be ready and whoever starts, the bench is just as strong and ready to change the game.

“It happens. [Jack Grealish] got it at the Euros and we just have to keep our feet on the ground and keep working hard. When we get the opportunity, we have to take it and that’s all it is really.

“It did [give added motivation] but a little bit more pressure as well. I do like the pressure, they’re the games you want to play in as well when everyone is talking about you and everyone is watching you. You want to prove people wrong or prove people right.

“I’m used to it at my club, getting rotated a lot and I didn’t come here thinking I’m just going to walk into the team. I know how good the players are and there’s a lot of quality so I knew in training I was going to have to show my quality and work hard.”

Martin Keown
Former England defender

We kind of have the dilemma that Pep Guardiola had 12 months ago - is it Raheem Sterling? Is it Phil Foden? Is it Jack Grealish? Garth Southgate has that same issue.

I expect all three, and Marcus Rashford, to play a part and we can do that from the bench. It is just who starts.

Sterling is a player that the manager has believed in massively and he has repaid that. He always looked really top draw at tournaments. He may come back in when it matters.

Seven of the guys who are playing now played in the first game of the last World Cup but the likes of Foden, Jude Bellingham, Mason Mount and Bukayo Saka are improving the team and England are evolving. It is at what point the manager feels they are given their heads.

I trust in Southgate to make the right decisions.

Image source, Getty Images

• This will be the first ever senior international between England and Senegal. It will be the 13th time that England’s first ever match against a nation has come in the World Cup; the Three Lions lost just one of the previous 12 such instances (W7 D4), a 0-1 defeat to USA in 1950.
• England have never lost in seven previous World Cup matches against African opposition (W4 D3); their only previous such game in the knockout stages came against Cameroon in the 1990 quarter-final, winning 3-2 after extra-time, with their goals coming from David Platt and two Gary Lineker penalties.
• African nations have lost eight of their nine World Cup knockout round games against European sides, with the exception being Senegal's 2-1 win over Sweden in the round of 16 in 2002. However, in all competitions, England have never lost against an African side in their history (W14 D6).
• England have scored nine goals in their three games at the 2022 World Cup so far – only in 2018 (12) and 1966 (11) have they scored more in a single edition of the tournament.
• Each of Senegal's last 10 goals at the World Cup have been scored by different players (including own goals). Their five different scorers at this tournament is the most they've had in a single edition.

Celestine Karoney
BBC Sport Africa journalist on BBC Radio 5 Live

Senegal will be underdogs, despite being African champions. You look at the quality that England is bringing into this game and everybody you speak to in the Senegalese camp tells you that they are going in as underdogs.

There is a greater belief this time around because there is a sense that the mentality is shifting when you think about African teams and even when you think about this team. They have been together for almost a decade so that sense of cohesion and unity is something they are going to be relying on.

They feel that they have what it takes because they too have players who play in the same leagues as these English players so that is going to be a big advantage they feel they carry.

Captain [Kalidou] Koulibaly and Edouard Mendy at the back there are going to know how these English players think. So they can get in there and be competitive.

Martin Keown
Former England defender

Senegal are used to winning. They are coming with no Sadio Mane, which is a big blow, but they've managed that well.

Kalidou Koulibaly played really well in their last game, but he has got weaknesses as well. We shouldn't be lumping balls into the box, we should exploit the space around him.

I am confident that England have the tools to beat Senegal. We just need to prove it on the pitch now. We need to be confident but not arrogant. There is a balance because any opponent you have to respect but you have to, deep down, feel you can beat.

England sealed their place in the last 16 with a 3-0 win over Wales and the manner of that win was enough to get BBC pundits Alan Shearer and Micah Richards excited about what this team might be able to achieve in Qatar.

While Shearer insists that England should fear no one at this World Cup, Richards was impressed by the way Gareth Southgate was able to use the options at his disposal to solve different problems during the game.

Watch below to hear from the former England pair...

Simon: I’ll be watching from inside the Al Bayt stadium after scoring tickets from an amazing friend. My prediction: England will do it 3-1, but Senegal will score first to give us the usual jitters.

Celestine Karoney
BBC Sport Africa journalist on BBC Radio 5 Live

In Senegal, this is massive. If you look at back home. For African teams doing well in football, it's almost more than the sport. Because people live in that moment which takes the pressure away from the problems they face in life.

Football offers that moment where you forget everything, it's like a drug so for them it is very important how the team does today.

If we talk about the Senegal camp here, Aliou Cisse who they say had been unwell is now ok. I have just been told that he will be on the touchline so that will give a lot of confidence as well, not just to fans at home but to the team in general. It will lift them a bit today.

Martin Keown
Former England defender

He can leave Marcus Rashford out and he will if he wants to. He is quite ruthless and he will do what is right for the team.

Rashford makes for a fantastic replacement off the bench because his pace can frighten any defender. Pace is the ingredient that really frightens defenders, even top-level ones.

Phil Foden has to be the one that plays on the left for me and Bukayo Saka on the right. His two goals in the first game were world class. He's shown that he has gone to the next level. Foden has competition every week at Manchester City just to get into the team and he should play. He is very direct.

Playing Rashford would play into Senegal's arms because they want us to get into an arm wrestle. They want to out-strength us and we shouldn't allow that. We should stay away from that and punish them with our passing.

Let's hope no strips of paper and various round objects are required after Japan v Croatia tomorrow night.

Time to hop back on the England v Senegal express...

No-one predicted Japan would get out of their group or that Germany would be knocked out - well, no-one apart from me.

I don't think the Blue Samurai are done at this tournament yet, although I can see this tie going the distance and all the way into extra-time before they win it.

I am maybe being a little romantic here, I know, because Croatia have some canny operators and fantastic players.

Japan are probably a better team than they think they are, with the technical players they have got. At the moment they play in patches but that might still be enough.

Sutton's prediction: 1-1 after 90 minutes. Japan to win 2-1 after extra-time.

Image source, Getty Images

Japan have reached the last 16 of the World Cup for a fourth time, including both of the last two editions.

However, they have never progressed from this stage, going out to Turkey in 2002, Paraguay (on penalties) in 2010, and Belgium in 2018.

When it comes to Croatia, they have only lost two of their eight knockout stage games at the World Cup (W4 D2), while they also progressed from the two such games that finished as draws on penalties, both in 2018 (v Denmark in the round of 16, Russia in the quarter-final).

Japan shocked Spain and Germany in the group stage to make it through to the last 16 for the fourth time.

They have come from behind in both of those games to win and defender Yuto Nagatomo has encouraged his team-mates to show their "Samurai spirit" against 2018 runners-up Croatia.

"This is a great opportunity for us to show the world how we can fight like Samurai," said Nagatomo, who plays for FC Tokyo.

"Before they go into battle they polish their weapons and try to improve their techniques, but if they are scared during battle, they would not be able to use those weapons and techniques fully.

"It's exactly the same with football - of course the tactics and techniques are important, but no matter how much we have improved those, if we are scared when we are on the field, those things are useless.

"In order to maximise all the tactics that we have been discussing and practising for the last four years, the first condition is to have courage."

Eight of Japan's squad play in Germany's Bundesliga, with another 11 playing across Europe.

That exposure has helped them grow and coach Hajime Moriyasu says the individual quality of his players so far has made the difference.

"Japan has always been a team that can play an organised game, but unless the individual players are strong, this is not really sufficient," said Moriyasu.

"In the last four years, the individual players have become much more capable."

Japan will be without defender Ko Itakura who picked up his second yellow card in the win over Spain, with Arsenal's Takehiro Tomiyasu expected to deputise.

Image source, Getty Images

Croatia were beaten in the 2018 final by France and currently 12th in the Fifa world rankings.

That is 12 places higher than Japan, but Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic has warned his side about underestimating their last-16 opposition.

"What is of the utmost importance is to demonstrate respect for our opponents," said Dalic.

"They beat World Cup winners in Spain and Germany and they showed their mentality and their mental strength.

"They will apply the Samurai philosophy in their games and if we want to go further, we must apply that same standard and attitude and never underestimate anyone."

Croatia will give a late test to full-back Borna Sosa, who has been struggling with a minor injury.

How about a little sprinkle of Japan v Croatia next?

Image source, Getty Images

Sounds like the Brazil news conference is the place to be right now.

Thiago Silva is the player alongside manager Tite and when asked if Neymar would play, Tite took hold of the microphone and said "yes".

Assertive.