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England to make late call on Rice for World Cup semi-final

England will make a late decision on whether Declan Rice is fit to start the World Cup semi-final against Argentina.

There is optimism the Arsenal midfielder can shake off the effects of illness to play on Wednesday.

Rice suffered with a sickness bug in the lead-up to Saturday’s quarter-final victory over Norway in Miami and was substituted at half-time.

Head coach Thomas Tuchel said afterwards that Rice had spent three days in bed before the match, which England won 2-1 after extra time.

It is understood Rice has still not recovered fully from the illness – picked up in Mexico, where England beat the co-hosts 3-2 in the last 16 – but his condition has improved markedly over the past 48 hours.

Rice is almost certain to rule himself fit for the semi-final given the enormity of the occasion, but given the severity of the illness, England medics are set to make a late call on his availability.

In addition to his recovery from the sickness bug, Rice has also been carrying a neural problem for several months that affects his lower back and hamstring.

The midfielder, who has 78 caps, has started all but one of England’s World Cup games so far, missing the 2-0 group-stage win over Panama because an injury flared up.

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