Why is Declan Rice not playing today for England vs Croatia in Matchday 3 of the 2026-27 UEFA Nations League?

England faces Croatia in Rijeka on Matchday 3 of the 2026-27 UEFA Nations League, but Thomas Tuchel will be without midfielder Declan Rice for the trip.

Rice pulled out of the squad before the window even began, following Arsenal’s Premier League defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion, as he continues managing both a hamstring issue and a long-standing lower back problem that dates back to his heavy workload during the World Cup.

England captain Harry Kane said Rice had “been struggling for a while” with the issue, suggesting the midfielder needed time to recover before returning to both club and country duty.

With Rice unavailable, Elliot Anderson and Alex Scott look set to continue carrying the midfield load, with Tuchel expected to field a strong lineup against Croatia given the Czech Republic is viewed as the softer fixture to come on Tuesday.

England dealing with a lengthy injury list

Rice wasn’t the only notable absence from Tuchel’s squad for this window, with Tino Livramento, Kobbie Mainoo, Cole Palmer and Marcus Rashford also left out before the Spain match that opened the break.

England has since also lost Nico O’Reilly to injury after he was withdrawn following last weekend’s 3-2 loss to Spain, with the FA confirming the 21-year-old returned to Manchester City for further tests and won’t be available for either the Croatia match or next Tuesday’s rematch with the Czech Republic at Wembley.

With O’Reilly out and no replacement called up, Newcastle’s Lewis Hall is in line for another start at left-back, having made just his second international appearance in Prague earlier this week.