England's World Cup opener against Iran will feature a back four of Harry Maguire, Kyle Walker, and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Jude Bellingham is likely to make his first World Cup start as a result of the change of formation.
There are reports that Phil Foden will be passed over for the right wing position.
The inclusion of the Manchester United defender is controversial since he has only made one start in the top flight this season.
The 29-year-old was a key member of the England team that finished runners-up at the European Championship in 2020.
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Bellingham has nine goals in 22 appearances in all competitions this season, which makes him less controversial to start.
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Sky Sports News has a senior reporter in the Middle East.
The World Cup will start with a four-man defence with John Stones and Harry Maguire at the center of it.
It's looking more and more likely that 19-year-old Jude Bellingham will make his England World Cup debut in the starting XI because of the freed up space in the middle.
He's playing well in the big games and he's in good shape. What he offers England is a different type of box-to-box player than anyone else.
As they attempt to break down a stubborn Iranian defence that we expect to sit very, very deep and employ a pretty low block against England, that energy and athleticism could be key.
It was expected that Harry Maguire would be included. I have said on Sky Sports News that he would start the game. It's important for him to get some game time and for me to give him a vote of confidence right from the beginning.
"But that isn't going to stop the detractors and the critics who will say Harry Maguire shouldn't be in this starting eleven because he hasn't played enough football, his confidence is low and there are players that are in much better form than him."
4-3-3 with only one traditional holding midfield player in Declan Rice doesn't sound that cautious.
It seems like a slight change from what we've seen in recent major tournaments, probably because he knows Iran are not going to offer too much coming forward and England are going to have to try very hard and be patient in breaking them down.
England will take a knee before their opening game against Iran.
When football came back after the Covid-19 shutdown, England made a gesture against racism.
In Monday's Group B opener, England will make a gesture after not taking a knee in September's games.
We talked about taking the knee. We think we should. It is what we stand for as a team and have done for many years.
We feel that this is the biggest that the clubs have decided to only do for certain games.
It is important for young people to see that inclusivity is important.
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