England winger Bukayo Saka has been left out of the matchday squad for Thomas Tuchel third game in charge.
The Three Lions will play Andorra in Barcelona on Saturday, looking to continue their perfect start to qualifying for the 2026 World Cup against a team they’ve faced six times without ever conceding a goal.
Thomas Tuchel has enjoyed a winning start as England manager, beating Albania 2-0 and Latvia 3-0 in March to take an immediate lead at the top of Group K. The former Chelsea, Bayern Munich, and Paris Saint-Germain boss will be confident of securing another victory in his first game away from Wembley.
Arsenal star Saka is part of the England squad for back-to-back fixtures against Andorra in World Cup qualifying and Senegal in an international friendly next week but has been ruled out of any involvement in Barcelona this Saturday.
The 23-year-old has played 43 times for England since debuting as a teenager in 2020 but has yet to feature under Tuchel due to the hamstring injury that sidelined him for the first two World Cup qualifiers. Although he has returned to action for the Gunners, Saka’s workload has been carefully managed by Mikel Arteta and his staff. Thomas Tuchel mentioned at his pre-match press conference on Friday that the winger has only fully participated in one training session during the current England camp.
“His omission from the squad to face Andorra [is] likely to be linked to his fitness,” reports BBC Sport.
“It remains to be seen whether Saka will play a part in the friendly against Senegal on June 10, adding to his 43 caps for the Three Lions. The winger missed three months of action between December and April due to a hamstring injury but made his return for the final two months of the campaign.”
Thomas Tuchel England side will also be missing Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins, who has returned to England “as a precaution” after picking up a knock. Like Saka, Watkins has not yet played under Thomas Tuchel. The Villa striker and the England boss agreed to rest him to prevent further issues related to another minor injury in March.
Former Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher will also be absent from Tuchel’s match squad on Saturday, though the reason for his omission is not yet known.
England should not face significant issues despite the absence of three players. Previous encounters with Andorra have been very comfortable for the Three Lions, who still have a capable and largely in-form squad available for Thomas Tuchel third game.
