The Football Association is experiencing difficulties in securing suitable opposition for England's World Cup warm-up games owing to their late start to the expanded 48-team tournament. England open against Croatia on the last day of the first round of games on 17 June, six days after the first match between Mexico and South Africa, and Thomas Tuchel wants final preparation games as close to his team's tournament kick-off as possible.
After 15 matches, Bayern Munich remain undefeated and comfortably top the table with a nine-point advantage over Borussia Dortmund and Bayern's goal difference is a staggering 30 goals better than Dortmund's. Only once since the three-points-for-a-win system was introduced in 1995 has a league leader squandered a nine-point lead after the 15th matchday: Borussia Dortmund achieved this ignominious feat in the 2018-19 season allowing Bayern Munich to win the Bundesliga by two points.