Supercomputer recalculates England's chances of winning the World Cup as knockouts kick off

England will play DR Congo on Wednesday for a chance to qualify for the World Cup's round of 16.

There, they will meet either Mexico or Ecuador, with the pair set to face off in the hours before Thomas Tuchel's side take to the pitch.

It has been a mixed tournament for the Three Lions so far, with the opening match against Croatia played in a completely different fashion to the subsequent two.

England peppered the Croatian goal, winning 4-2 on a night in which they ultimately could have scored five or six.

But in last week's 0-0 draw with Ghana, they were toothless, and it threatened to be a similar story against Panama on Saturday before Jude Bellingham's opening goal.

Tuchel will have another two days to address England's struggle to break down deep defences, with DR Congo likely to employ a similar tactic.

Supercomputer reveals World Cup predictions

Unlike previous World Cups, there has yet to be a major shock, with all the big nations doing as expected.

The most significant exits at the group stage have come in the form of Uruguay, South Korea, Czechia, Turkey and Scotland.

The usual suspects - the likes of Spain, Argentina and England - won their group at a canter, and are expected to progress to the round of 16.

There, the tastiest matchups begin to take shape, with Germany and France potentially set to face off, as well as Portugal and Spain.

Before the World Cup kicked off, Opta's supercomputer had backed Spain as its favourite to go all the way.

However, France have now emerged as the favourite and have a 19.06 per cent chance of repeating their 2018 glory.

The holders, Argentina, have been given a 16.52 per cent chance, while Spain, 13.10 per cent, and England, 10.41 per cent.

Supercomputer's World Cup miracle

Cape Verde are likely the story of the World Cup so far, having finished second in their group by holding firm against Spain, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia.

The tiny nation are ranked 67th in the world and will now face World Cup holders, Argentina, in a David vs Goliath type round of 32.

The supercomputer has given them a tiny 0.04 per cent chance of going the whole way, which would represent a miracle.

The chances also fall below one per cent for Austria, Sweden, DR Congo, Paraguay, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Ghana.