[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"header-nav":3,"footer-nav":29,"article-world-cup-semi-final-combined-xi-the-battle-for-places":82,"category-counts-nav":94,"related-world-cup-semi-final-combined-xi-the-battle-for-places":104},[4,8,11,14,17,20,23,26],{"label":5,"to":6,"exact":7},"Home","\u002F",true,{"label":9,"to":10},"World Cup","\u002Fworldcup",{"label":12,"to":13},"Standings","\u002Fstandings",{"label":15,"to":16},"Football","\u002Fcategory\u002Ffootball",{"label":18,"to":19},"Basketball","\u002Fcategory\u002Fbasketball",{"label":21,"to":22},"Tennis","\u002Fcategory\u002Ftennis",{"label":24,"to":25},"F1","\u002Fcategory\u002Ff1",{"label":27,"to":28},"Long Reads","\u002Fcategory\u002Flong-reads",{"brand":30,"columns":32,"tagline":80,"copyright":81},{"description":31},"In-depth sports journalism covering football, basketball, tennis, F1, and beyond. Daily analysis, long reads, and expert opinion.",[33,51,59],{"heading":34,"links":35},"Leagues",[36,39,42,45,48],{"label":37,"to":38},"Premier League","\u002Ftag\u002Fpremier-league",{"label":40,"to":41},"La Liga","\u002Ftag\u002Fla-liga",{"label":43,"to":44},"NBA","\u002Ftag\u002Fnba",{"label":46,"to":47},"Formula 1","\u002Ftag\u002Fformula-1",{"label":49,"to":50},"Champions League","\u002Ftag\u002Fchampions-league",{"heading":52,"links":53},"Content",[54,56,57],{"label":55,"to":16},"Analysis",{"label":27,"to":28},{"label":58,"to":16},"Data & Stats",{"heading":60,"links":61},"Company",[62,65,68,71,74,77],{"label":63,"to":64},"Terms of Service","\u002Fservice",{"label":66,"to":67},"Privacy Policy","\u002Fprivacy",{"label":69,"to":70},"Editorial Policy","\u002Feditorial",{"label":72,"to":73},"Contact Us","\u002Fcontact",{"label":75,"to":76},"About Us","\u002Fabout",{"label":78,"to":79},"Website Disclaimer","\u002Fdisclaimer","Built for the love of sport","© SportPulse. All rights reserved.",{"title":83,"slug":84,"category":85,"badge":55,"author":86,"excerpt":87,"date":88,"readTime":89,"image":90,"imageAlt":83,"tags":91,"body":92,"_path":93},"World Cup Semi-Final Combined XI: The Battle for Starting Spots","world-cup-semi-final-combined-xi-the-battle-for-places","football","Marcus Wright","With World Cup glory on the line, we break down the ultimate combined XI from the final four teams remaining.","2026-07-12 14:01:21","1 min read","\u002Fimages\u002Farticles\u002Fworld-cup-semi-final-combined-xi-the-battle-for-places.webp",[9],"## The Midfield Engine Room\nThe midfield is where tournaments are won. You need destroyers, creators, and relentless runners to survive the grueling **120 minutes** of a semi-final. The modern game demands midfielders who can operate in tight spaces and transition instantly from defense to attack.\n\n[Content continues with full analysis...]","\u002Farticles\u002Fworld-cup-semi-final-combined-xi-the-battle-for-places",[95,96,97,98,85,99,100,101,102,103],"analysis","basketball","cricket","f1","general","golf","mma","long-reads","tennis",[105,118,129],{"id":106,"stem":106,"path":107,"title":108,"category":85,"badge":109,"badgeType":110,"author":86,"authorRole":111,"authorInitials":112,"date":113,"readTime":114,"image":115,"imageAlt":108,"tags":116,"excerpt":117},"shreyas-ierst-century-ton-leads-india-fightback-bristol-t20","\u002Farticles\u002Fshreyas-ierst-century-ton-leads-india-fightback-bristol-t20","Iyer's 98 Not Out Anchors India Fightback in Rain-Affected Bristol Thriller","Match Report","tag","SportPulse Contributor","MW","2026-07-10 00:46:45","6 min read","\u002Fimages\u002Farticles\u002Fshreyas-ierst-century-ton-leads-india-fightback-bristol-t20.webp","T20I Series, India Tour of England, International Cricket","Shreyas Iyer's composed 98 not out under wet conditions gives India a fighting 167-7 against England in the series-leveling Bristol T20.",{"id":119,"stem":119,"path":120,"title":121,"category":85,"badge":122,"badgeType":123,"author":86,"authorRole":111,"authorInitials":112,"date":124,"readTime":125,"image":126,"imageAlt":121,"tags":127,"excerpt":128},"louis-rees-zammit-rugby-return-jaguars-nfl-pivot","\u002Farticles\u002Flouis-rees-zammit-rugby-return-jaguars-nfl-pivot","Rees-Zammit Concedes Rugby Struggles After NFL Gamble","Feature","category","2026-07-16 17:35:42","4 min read","https:\u002F\u002Fichef.bbci.co.uk\u002Face\u002Fstandard\u002F976\u002Fcpsprodpb\u002F211a\u002Flive\u002Fcb525770-8056-11f1-a10f-077d9cf2208e.jpg","Premiership Rugby, Six Nations, Rugby World Cup","The Welsh speedster admits his first season back in rugby was uneven after his bold NFL pivot with the Jacksonville Jaguars fell short.",{"id":130,"stem":130,"path":131,"title":132,"category":85,"badge":109,"badgeType":110,"author":86,"authorRole":111,"authorInitials":112,"date":133,"readTime":134,"image":135,"imageAlt":132,"tags":136,"excerpt":137},"galway-demolish-cork-to-reach-all-ireland-hurling-final","\u002Farticles\u002Fgalway-demolish-cork-to-reach-all-ireland-hurling-final","Galway Demolish Cork to Reach All-Ireland Hurling Final","2026-07-04 16:49:08","5 min read","https:\u002F\u002Fichef.bbci.co.uk\u002Face\u002Fstandard\u002F976\u002Fcpsprodpb\u002F8324\u002Flive\u002Fe08bc360-77c3-11f1-94e2-871a7fcffef3.jpg","All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, GAA, Croke Park","Galway crushed Cork 2-26 to 1-18 at Croke Park, ending a six-year wait to return to the All-Ireland hurling final."]