Mitchell: England need not be perfect as Red Roses prepare for Scotland in World Cup quarter-final

England head coach John Mitchell said his team do not have to be "10 out of 10" as they prepare to face Scotland in a Women’s World Cup quarter-final at Ashton Gate on Sunday.

Mitchell acknowledged Scotland will raise their performance but said England will hunt for weaknesses rather than expect to be firing on all cylinders as the tournament reaches the knockout phase. Kick-off is 4pm BST, referee Aurelie Groizeleau of France is appointed, and the match will be broadcast on BBC One.

Aldcroft returns to lead the Red Roses after missing the pool matches against Samoa and Australia with a knee problem; she watched the narrow win over Australia from the stands in Brighton. "You understand the game a bit more watching from the sidelines," Aldcroft said. "It has been completely different and it was interesting, but I am back and ready to go. I would definitely rather have been involved and I am ready to attack the next few weeks."

Mitchell has made four changes to the side that beat Australia, bringing in Helena Rowland at full-back, Kelsey Clifford in the pack, Aldcroft as captain and Holly Aitchison at fly-half. Aitchison, who only returned from an ankle problem as a substitute in Brighton, is preferred at No. 10 despite Zoe Harrison's accurate goal-kicking earlier in the tournament. Abbie Ward, a key lock, has been named among the replacements.

England's starting XV is Helena Rowland; Abby Dow, Megan Jones, Tatyana Heard, Jess Breach; Holly Aitchison, Natasha Hunt; Kelsey Clifford, Amy Cokayne, Maud Muir, Morwenna Talling, Rosie Galligan, Zoe Aldcroft (captain), Sadia Kabeya and Alex Matthews, with Lark Atkin-Davies, Mackenzie Carson, Sarah Bern, Abbie Ward, Maddie Feaunati, Lucy Packer, Zoe Harrison and Emma Sing named as replacements.

Scotland named Chloe Rollie at full-back with Rhona Lloyd, Emma Orr, Lisa Thomson and Francesca McGhie across the backline. Helen Nelson and Leia Brebner-Holden partner at half-back, while Leah Bartlett, Lana Skeldon, Christine Belisle, Emma Wassell, Sarah Bonar, Rachel Malcolm (captain), Evie Gallagher and Jade Konkel make up the forwards and bench options include Elis Martin and Molly Wright.

Scotland reached the quarter-finals as Pool B runners-up to Canada and have not beaten England since 1999, winning just two of 34 meetings. England dominated Pool A, scoring 32 tries and 208 points in comfortable victories over the United States, Samoa and Australia, but Mitchell stressed tournament management and dealing with injuries remain priorities. Full-back Ellie Kildunne and prop Hannah Botterman are ruled out of the Scotland match with concussion and a back injury respectively; Mitchell said he hopes both will be available should England reach the semi-finals.

"They have definitely improved," Mitchell said of Scotland. "Clearly, Scotland will raise their performance against us, but there is still vulnerability in there and we will be hunting those weaknesses. I don't think we need to be 10 out of 10 at the moment. We are in a new competition in my eyes. We have experienced some injuries but that is what this tournament throws at you. If we do get a super performance, that's great. If not, we will learn from it."

While England are favourites on home soil and expected to reach the last four, the draw suggests a likely semi-final against France and a potential final showdown with New Zealand, the side that beat England in the 2022 World Cup final. Mitchell and his coaching staff will be managing player workload and injuries with those tougher matches in mind; New Zealand boast emerging talents such as 18-year-old wing Braxton Sorensen-McGee, identified as a potential match-winner.

Scotland coach Shaunagh Brown (interim) will aim to produce an upset of historic proportions, but the formlines and longstanding head-to-head record favour the Red Roses. Mitchell's selection choices underline a balance between giving experienced players time to regain full match sharpness and preserving squad depth for the later stages of the tournament.

The winner at Ashton Gate will move into the semi-finals with England seeking to build momentum and address the areas Mitchell highlighted as vulnerable, while Scotland will aim to end a decades-long drought and extend their World Cup campaign.

Match details: Ashton Gate, Bristol; kick-off 4pm BST; referee Aurelie Groizeleau (France); live on BBC One.