⚽️ Kick-off time: noon local/3pm ET/8pm BST/5am AEST
⚽️ Player guide | Bracketology | Golden Boot | Mail Beau
With Christian Pulisic out, Mauricio Pochettino opts for a big man/little man strike partnership with Ricardo Pepi slotting in alongside Folarin Balogun. Pepi is the pool’s best hold-up forward, willing to drop into midfield to help in possession sequences and a consistent contributor to a frontline press. He can now do all kinds of off-ball work with Balogun able to stretch the backline and keep Australia from clamping into too tight a defensive block.
Malik Tillman, Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie offers adequate balance in midfield, with width coming via Sergiño Dest and Antonee Robinson.
The lineups are out, and Christian Pulisic is not only not among the starters, but he’s not listed among the subs either. Mauricio Pochettino has told the Fox pregame broadcast that the US star is unavailable.