England boss Thomas Tuchel has warned fans not to expect 'sexy football' in their World Cup knockout tie against DR Congo.

What to expect from the tie

Tuchel has an outstanding win record of 74 per cent in knockout football and says he will bring his expertise to the business end of the tournament. England will have to deal with the expectation levels of being red-hot favourites to see off DR Congo.

Tuchel's experience

Tuchel has won the Champions League with Chelsea and enjoyed great success at club level with Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint Germain and Bayern Munich. He insists there is no magic recipe but he will urge his players not to 'freak out' if the knock-out games become tense and nerve-wracking.

Current form

England are on a 2-game winning run after their last result: England 4-2 Croatia (2026-06-17). Their recent form is 2W-0D-2L (WWLL, most recent first). | Date | Opponent | Result | | --- | --- | --- | | 2026-06-17 | Croatia | 4-2 |

Next fixture

England's next fixture is vs Spain at home on 2026-09-26. Currently sidelined is R. James. Tuchel added: 'I don't think we have any secret. We frame them, of course, but this is normally what we do. We give them a headline. What to focus on, what are the key messages.'