France vs England: Defending Champions France to Take on England in the Quarter Finals

France vs England 2-1 Quarter Finals: Two of the top teams in the world right now, France vs England, will be taking on each other in the last-eight stage. Both teams have faced each other twice in World Cups, with Les Bleus losing both fixtures; 0-2 in the 1966 edition and 1-3 in the 1982 edition.

Talking about England first, they progressed to the last-Eight stage after beating Senegal by 3-0 in the last sixteen round. Midfielder Jordan Henderson scored the opener in the 39th minute. Striker Harry Kane scored his first and the team’s second goals in the final action of the first half. Arsenal player Bukayo Saka confirmed all three points for his side with his first and team’s third goal in the 57th minute.

Moving forward in the last-Eight stage, they’ll face Les Bleus, winners of the previous edition, who knocked out Robert Lewandowski’s Poland by 3-1 in the last sixteen round. After making it to the finals at the Russia FIFA World Cup

2018, England will be looking forward to playing back-to-back semi-finals by beating defending champions. Still, at the same time, they are fully aware of their opponent’s capabilities, as Kyle Walker talked to the reporters:

“We’re playing the world champions, but we are two good teams that will go toe to toe. You’ve seen what can happen in 90-plus minutes.”

“There have been shocks, and for us, this is just another game. We take our hat off to them as world champions, but every one of us will not be rolling that red carpet out for them to treat it as a theatre. We have great talent – talk about the goals we have scored and the clean sheets that we’ve kept. In my eyes, neither team is the underdogs or the favorites.”

Manchester City player further said. Midfielder Declan Rice missed Wednesday’s training session due to illness but is expected to make it to the starting XI against France. Moreover, defender Ben White, who didn’t play a single minute this tournament, has left the team camp and returned home after a disagreement with assistant coach Steve Holland.

England Probable Starting XI:

Pickford, Walker, Stones, Maguire, Shaw, Bellingham, Rice, Henderson, Saka, Kane, Foden

On the other hand, France advanced to the last-eight stage after beating Robert Lewandowski’s Poland by 3-1 in the last sixteen sets. Oliver Giroud became the All-time top scorer for his nation as he surpassed Thierry Henry (51 goals) by scoring the game’s opening goal a minute before the end of the first half. PSG forward Kylian Mbappe scored the second goal of the game in the 74th minute, with the assist coming from Ousmane Dembele.

Mbappe scored his second and the team’s third goal in injury time, 90+1, with such a brilliant finish. Poland’s talisman scored the consolatory goal for his side in the 90+9 minute from the penalty spot. He missed the target but was fortunate to get the second chance as French goalkeeper Lloris was off his line.

Moving forward, in the last eight, they’ll face three lions who knocked out African champions Senegal by 3-0 in the previous sixteen rounds. France won the FIFA Russia World Cup 2022 and is eyeing lifting the coveted trophy at back-to-back editions. However, they’re aware of the England teams’ capabilities, as Adrien Rabiot said to the reporters:

“They are a team with the same characteristics as us, very fast on the wings, with attacking full-backs, midfielders who can get forward, and Declan Rice looks a bit like Aurelien Tchouameni.”“I am not sure that we should say that we have to be careful. They will also be cautious because we can put them in difficulty. It’s an open game with two teams who know how to counter.

What can make a difference is set pieces? They are excellent; we must be vigilant and not make the same mistakes as against Denmark. They have weapons, but we are not inferior.” He further added.

France Probable Starting XI:

Lloris, Kounde, Varane, Upamecano, T. Hernandez, Tchouameni, Rabiot, Dembele, Griezmann, Mbappe, Giroud

France vs England Match Facts:

* Location: Al Khor, Qatar

* Stadium: Al Bayt Stadium

* Date: 10 December, Saturday

* Kick-off Time: 19:00 GMT / 14:00 ET / 11:00 PT

France vs England Conclusion:

After lifting the coveted trophy at the previous edition, Les Bleus are eyeing to create history by winning successive World Cups, and to do that; they’ll first look to book their spot in the final four by knocking out the Three lions who are looking forward to making it to the last four in back-to-back editions by knocking out defending champions. Both teams have match-winners in their squads, and it’s a fixture you can’t afford to miss.

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