Defending champions France go head to head against England in the quarter finals.
The Three Lions face off against the defending world champions France in what proves to be a historical quarter final.
Qatar 2022 has not been short of upsets and this one will no doubt be a Christmas cracker.
In the words of England legend Gary Neville ‘games like this don’t come around often’.
Gareth Southgate’s side come into the match as underdogs – the first time this tournament.
France being favourites with the bookmakers comes as no surprise with their previous performances in major tournaments.
Didier Deshamps men beat Croatia 4-2 in Russia 2018 to be crowned World Cup champions for the second time – the first being in 1998.
In order for England to have any chance in this quarter final they have to abandon their sloppy and slow starts of late.
Al Bayt Stadium will host the battle – the same venue as England’s knockout match against African champions Senegal.
The 68,000 capacity stadium will be in full voice on Saturday, December 10 at 7pm (GMT).
Important stats:
The two last met in June 2017 with Didier Deshamps men coming away with a 3-2 victory.
England have the advantage over France in head to heads with the Three Lions winning 17 out of their last 31 encounters between the pair.
This meeting will be the first knockout stage match between the two teams in a World Cup (men’s).
Euro 2012 (group stage) was the last time the two met in a major tournament ending honours even in a 1-1 draw.
The winner of this battle with meet either Portugal or Morocco in the semi finals.
Team news:
England’s squad depth began to deplete as the tournament has progressed.
With Chelsea’s Raheem Sterling and Arsenal’s Ben White travelling back to the UK due to personal reasons.
Although there has been a huge boost for Southgate’s side – Raheem Sterling is returning to Qatar in time for the quarter final clash.
Sterling returned back to England to his home in Surrey after his family home was burgled.
Ben White travelled home for undisclosed family reasons – his privacy is requested.
West Ham midfielder Declan Rice missed training on Wednesday due to illness but was back in training in speedy fashion.
The defending champions look to be squeaky clean in terms of injuries for this match.
Although – Didier Deshamps had to deal with a plethora of squad setbacks before the tournament with star men Karim Benzema, Paul Pogba, N’Golo Kante ruled unfit for the Qatar 2022.
Benzema’s absence has been hot topic – will it be the reason Les Bleus do not reclaim the Jules Rimet?
The Real Madrid talisman has been a huge miss but Olivier Giroud has been leading the line in fine form.
The 36 year-old has scored three this tournament from a total of nine shots.
France’s win against Poland on Saturday was a record breaking game for Giroud.
His 52nd minute goal saw the former Arsenal and Chelsea striker surpass Thierry Henry’s record as France’s top goal scorer.
Tactics:
France’s attack will be a head scratching task for England’s defence to deal with.
Mbappe poses the biggest threat for Les Bleus – full-back Kyle Walker will have his hands full.
If the Manchester City defender struggles to contain the winger – it could be game over for Southgate’s squad.
The 23 year-old is leading the tournaments golden boot race with five goals and two assists.
Form:
England produced an excellent and dominant performance against Senegal coming away with a 3-0 victory.
Poland had multiple chances in the opening 45 minutes failing to convert leading to France taking full advantage.
A Giroud opener and a brace from Mbappe saw Deschamps eleven comfortably beat Poland 3-1.
France – the world number four’s attack has been firing on all fronts.
However, their defence has been far from perfect.
Deshamps men have been unable to keep a clean sheet throughout the tournament.
In contrary to England’s two clean sheets against Wales and Senegal in the group stage.
The stage is set for a World Cup classic – who will be packing their bags and a catching a flight home?
England predicted line-up:
Pickford; Walker, Maguire, Stones, Shaw; Henderson, Rice, Bellingham; Saka, Kane, Foden.
France predicted line-up:
Lloris; Koundé, Varane, Upamecano, Hernández; Tchouaméni, Rabiot; Dembélé, Griezmann, Mbappe; Giroud.
Platform Magazine prediction:
England 1-2 France (after extra-time)
Lead image: 8385 via Pixaby.
