Some World Cup hopefuls got a chance to show England boss Thomas Tuchel what they can do last Friday.

And some took their chance more than others in a 1-1 draw with Uruguay.

Harry Kane, Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Anthony Gordon, Elliot Anderson, Marc Guehi, Morgan Rogers and Ezri Konsa were among the regulars of the Tuchel era to be rested, while Dean Henderson and Nico O'Reilly, who surely will be in the final squad, fitness permitting, were also given a break. Jude Bellingham did not feature, either.

In their absence, England were not at their best, though they were only denied a victory by Federico Valverde's late penalty.

Uruguay's equaliser ended a run of 629 minutes without conceding for England, with Valverde's goal the first they had conceded since June 2025 v Senegal, in a 3-1 defeat.

While debutant James Garner caught Tuchel's eye, others possibly did not grasp their opportunity to impress.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin missed a decent chance, and the Leeds United striker, along with Fikayo Tomori and Aaron Ramsdale, has now left the camp, with the rested regulars having re-joined the squad ahead of Tuesday's friendly with Japan at Wembley.

Kane, Gordon, Anderson, Guehi, Konsa, Rogers, Henderson, and O'Reilly are all back in the fold. 

However, Tuchel will be shorn of John Stones, who has returned to Manchester City for an assessment on an injury, Rice and Saka, who have headed back to Arsenal. Noni Madueke and Adam Wharton, meanwhile, suffered knocks against Uruguay and have also returned to their clubs.

There are still plenty of top-class options for Tuchel to choose from, as he gets one last chance to assess some players prior to picking his preliminary squad for the World Cup.

What's expected?

England are unbeaten in their three games against Japan, beating them 2-1 in both June 1995 in the Umbro Cup and in a May 2010 friendly, while they shared a 1-1 draw in June 2004.

The Three Lions have scored in their last 21 matches in all competitions since a 0-0 draw with Slovenia at Euro 2024.

It is their longest scoring streak since a 32-game run between 1902 and 1910, so they will be looking to keep their fine run of form in front of goal going.

England have won just two of their last seven friendly matches (D2 L3), having won 12 consecutively between 2018 and 2023 beforehand.

Opta's supercomputer is predicting an England victory.

The model ran 10,000 data-led simulations, and Tuchel's team won 59.6% of them.

Japan, on the other hand, have a 19.3% win likelihood. The probability of a draw comes in at 21.2%.

England's "mini-Valverde" out to impress again

Tuchel was effusive in his praise of Garner after Friday's match, even going as far as to say the versatile midfielder, who can also play at full-back, is the Three Lions' "mini-Valverde".

While such praise may be slightly over the top, there is no doubt the 25-year-old has put himself firmly in with a shout of making the World Cup squad after what has been a hugely impressive season at Everton.

He carried his club form onto the international stage.

Anderson is likely to slot into midfield, but with Rice and Wharton missing, Garner will surely be confident of getting another shot, especially after his fine senior debut.

No other player on the pitch could match Garner's four chances created, while he also led the way for passes in the final third (15) and won six of his nine duels. 

Jordan Henderson is a tried, tested and trusted member of Tuchel's squad, but a Garner-Anderson midfield axis would be a more progressive selection.

Plus, Garner's set-piece proficiency could also be useful.

Ten of England's last 18 goals have come via set-piece situations (5x corners, 3x free-kicks, 2x penalties), with 40% of those being scored or assisted by Arsenal players.

But with Rice and Saka absent, Tuchel will have to find a new set-piece taker. Garner has created 21 chances from set-pieces in the Premier League this season, which ranks fifth in the competition. Anderson, meanwhile, ranks sixth, with 20.

So, England have options.

And with Kane, Gordon and Rogers back in the fold, Tuchel will be hoping to give the Wembley crowd plenty to get their teeth into from an attacking perspective.

Phil Foden, meanwhile, has a point to prove after an underwhelming display against Uruguay, and it would be fair to say the Man City attacker faces a scrap to be sure of his place on the plane this summer.

Marcus Rashford, on the other hand, completed six dribbles against Uruguay, his most in an England game since November 2018 against Croatia (seven), and twice as many as he has completed in a game at club level this season (three being his most for Barcelona).

With Gordon and Rogers back, Rashford may well find himself on the bench, but he certainly did more than Foden to play himself into contention.

Japan on a roll

An Asian nation has never previously beaten England in 10 attempts (D4 L6) – this is the Three Lions' first game against an Asian team since a 6-2 win over Iran in November 2022 at the World Cup in Qatar.

Japan, though, are unbeaten in their last seven matches against European nations (W6 D1), winning each of their last three against Germany, Turkiye and Scotland.

They won four straight games against European teams twice before, in May 2009 and February 2013.

Japan have won eight of their last 11 matches in all competitions (D2 L1), and their 1-0 victory over Scotland at Hampden Park was a deserved one.

Japan had the better of the opportunities, mustering 18 shots and creating chances worth a combined 2.1 expected goals (xG).

Going the other way, a stringent defence conceded eight shots, with Scotland accumulating 0.9 xG.

While Japan's defence will no doubt have to work harder to keep out England, they can also offer plenty going the other way.

Junya Ito, who scored the winner in Glasgow, is in form, while Kaoru Mitoma is a name Premier League fans will be familiar with, and Daizen Maeda is a star attacker for Celtic.

Japan may not be blessed with world-class talent, but they are a functional unit at both ends of the field.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

England – Harry Kane

Kane, of course, is the headline name to return to the England fold. The captain is guaranteed his spot in the World Cup squad and is arguably in the form of his career.

He has already netted 48 goals in all competitions for Bayern Munich this season since last summer's Club World Cup.

Kane has scored 10 goals across his last 10 international appearances, while he could score two or more goals in successive matches for the national team for the first time since November 2021 against Albania (three) and San Marino (four).

Japan – Junya Ito

Ito has recorded four goal involvements across his last three matches (one goal, three assists) and could score in successive matches for the national team for the first time since September 2023 (run of three).

Since the start of 2023, no player has been involved in more goals for Japan in all competitions than Ito (22 – six goals, 16 assists).