England and holders France go head-to-head in a huge Fifa World Cup quarter-final on Saturday – their first meeting at the tournament for 40 years. It’s a mouthwatering fixture between two attacking teams with individual battles expected all over the pitch.
The most talked about contest has been England defender Kyle Walker going up against France striker Kylian Mbappé, the World Cup’s top scorer with five goals. But Jude Bellingham against Aurelien Tchouameni in the midfield, and Harry Kane against Raphaël Varane, could also be deciding factors in this tie.
Going head-to-head with the reigning champions is a “brilliant game for us to be involved in”, said Three Lions head coach Gareth Southgate. It’s the “biggest test that we face” and a “fantastic challenge”.
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French striker Olivier Giroud, who played in the Premier League for Arsenal and Chelsea, said it’s a “special game” for himself and goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, who plays for Tottenham. “I know this team very well and Hugo and I said to each other we don’t want to lose against England,” Giroud said. “It will be a nice game to watch and I hope it’s going to go well for us.”
Will it be It’s Coming Home or Allez Les Bleus ringing around the Al Bayt Stadium at the full-time whistle on Saturday evening, asked Ben Knapton on SportsMole. France lost both of their previous World Cup meetings with England, in 1966 and 1982 at the group stage, but more recent history “does not favour the Three Lions”. They only boast one win from their last eight against the champions of the world. The winners of this clash will go on to play Morocco or Portugal in the semi-finals.
Kylian Mbappé and Olivier Giroud scored in France’s 3-1 win over Poland
Saturday’s quarter-final clash between England and France will be shown live in the UK on ITV1 and ITVX. TV coverage begins at 6pm and the match kicks off at 7pm.
Team news
England midfielder Declan Rice did not train with the squad on Wednesday because of illness, but should be fit to start against the world champions. Striker Callum Wilson has also been having treatment on a minor strain. The Three Lions have been given a boost with the news that Raheem Sterling will rejoin the squad after flying back to the UK following the reported discovery of a burglary at his home. The Chelsea forward should be ready to start from the bench. Ben White is out of the World Cup because of personal reasons.
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French dangerman Kylian Mbappé missed open training on Tuesday as he underwent a separate recovery session. The striker was working in the recovery room, which is “usual two days after a game”, said a statement by the French Football Federation. Mbappé has been nursing an ankle problem, but will be ready to start on Saturday. Should midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni or defender Jules Kounde get booked in this game – and France win – they would miss the semi-final through suspension.
Jude Bellingham celebrates England’s opener against Senegal
(Image credit: Markus Gilliar/GES Sportfoto/Getty Images)
Predictions
Emmanuel Macron “stopped short of making a score prediction”, but is pretty confident about his country’s chances against England, said The Mirror. The French president told RTL: “I don’t really doubt the fact that we’re going to win.”
The result of Saturday’s game could come down to how well the respective nations can “contain” the “star qualities” of Kylian Mbappé and Jude Bellingham, said Ben Knapton on SportsMole. We are “struggling to see a way for England to prevail” and can only envisage France “sending the Three Lions home empty-handed again”. Prediction: England 1 France 3.
Opta’s supercomputer has picked out a winner – “just”, said Ben Spratt on Opta Analyst. France are given a “40.3% chance” of winning, ahead of slight underdogs England’s “32.4%”. In a tie this tight, extra time or penalties could be required, with “the draw rated at 27.3%”.
England meeting France is arguably the “headline fixture” of the quarter-finals, said Alex Young in the London Evening Standard. The holders will be “favourites” and for “plenty of reasons”, the biggest being Kylian Mbappé. Guilty of “slow starts” in all four of their games so far, you feel another could be “catastrophic” for the Three Lions. But they do have the quality to “take the game” to France. Prediction: England 1 France 2 (after extra time).
The majority of the French squad “tasted success” in lifting the World Cup four years ago in Russia, while the majority have “also enjoyed success in club football”, said Nathan Evans on Sporting News. That will likely give them the “mental edge” here, “on top of the fact that they have some of the best attacking players in the world at their disposal”. Prediction: England 1 France 2 (after extra time).
The stadium
This will be the eighth match of the World Cup played at the 60,000-capacity Al Bayt Stadium. The design of the stadium, which will also host one of the semi-finals, is inspired by the tents historically used in the Gulf region.
Squads
England
Head coach: Gareth Southgate
Key player: Harry Kane
One to watch: Bukayo Saka
Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford (Everton), Nick Pope (Newcastle), Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal)
Defenders: Kieran Trippier (Newcastle), Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Kyle Walker (Man City), Harry Maguire (Man Utd), John Stones (Man City), Eric Dier (Tottenham), Conor Coady (Everton, on loan from Wolves), Luke Shaw (Man Utd)
Midfielders: Declan Rice (West Ham), Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund), Kalvin Phillips (Man City), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Conor Gallagher (Chelsea), Mason Mount (Chelsea)
Forwards: Harry Kane (Tottenham), Callum Wilson (Newcastle), Marcus Rashford (Man Utd), Raheem Sterling (Chelsea), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Phil Foden (Man City), Jack Grealish (Man City), James Maddison (Leicester City)
Players who have left the squad: Benjamin White (Arsenal)
France
Head coach: Didier Deschamps
Key player: Kylian Mbappe
One to watch: Aurelien Tchouameni
Goalkeepers: Alphonse Areola (West Ham), Hugo Lloris (Tottenham), Steve Mandanda (Rennes)
Defenders: Lucas Hernandez (Bayern Munich), Theo Hernandez (AC Milan), Ibrahima Konate (Liverpool), Jules Kounde (Barcelona), Benjamin Pavard (Bayern Munich), William Saliba (Arsenal), Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich), Raphael Varane (Manchester United), Axel Disasi (Monaco)
Mike Starling is the former digital features editor at The Week. He started his career in 2001 in Gloucestershire as a sports reporter and sub-editor and has held various roles as a writer and editor at news, travel and B2B publications. He has spoken at a number of sports business conferences and also worked as a consultant creating sports travel content for tourism boards. International experience includes spells living and working in Dubai, UAE; Brisbane, Australia; and Beirut, Lebanon.
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