The defending champions will be looking to take a major step towards the retention of the biggest title in world football when they come face-to-face with England in the quarter-finals of the FIFA World Cup 2022 at the Al Bayt Stadium in Qatar on Sunday, December 11. The two sides have faced each other on multiple occasions at major tournaments. The nations have met twice at the World Cup, and the Three Lions are undefeated against Les Bleus. The two have also met at three European Championships, where France hold the unbeaten record against England.
This is the first FIFA World Cup knockout stage meeting between the two sides. In the 1966 and 1982 World Cups, England and France were drawn in the same groups. In the Group 1 fixture of the 1966 World Cup, England beat France 2-0 courtesy of a Roger Hunt brace. In the 1982 edition, the Three Lions were victorious again as they defeated Les Bleus 3-1. Bryan Robson notched a brace that time and Paul Mariner scored the third. Gerard Soler scored an equaliser for France at one point, only for it to be a consolation goal in the end.
England have been anything but shy in front of goal in Qatar so far. Unlike their opponents, the Three Lions are undefeated in the tournament after four games and have scored 12 goals while conceding just two in the process. The English have kept three clean sheets in those four games.
Eight different players have got their names on the scoresheet for England so far. Arsenal’s Bacary Saka and Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford are the leading goal scorers for the Three Lions. However, skipper Harry Kane, who got off the mark in the Round of 16 match against Senegal, has made the most goal contributions with three assists and one goal.
The Manchester duo of Harry Maguire and John Stones has been staunch at the back, which is evident from the number of shutouts the English have registered. Ahead of the defensive line, midfielders Jordan Henderson and Jude Bellingham have been solid in the central area, controlling the tempo of the game and have two goals and one assist between them.
So far, England have got it right on paper and on the pitch, but it will be interesting to see what the Frenchmen do to penetrate the English defence while simultaneously keeping their attackers at bay. So far, France have won three out of their four games. The only game they lost was against Tunisia, when they fielded a second-string side because they had already qualified.
Unlike the English, Les Bleus have relied on their two main attackers for goals. The defending champions have scored nine goals in four games so far, and eight of these goals have come from strikers Olivier Giroud and Kylian Mbappe. The only other French player who has scored a goal at this World Cup is Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot.
Rabiot and Real Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni have turned into a formidable midfield pairing that has not let France feel the absence of N’Golo Kante and Paul Pogba. In the group stage game against Denmark, 22-year-old Tchouameni had a passing accuracy of 99%. The battle in the midfield is expected to be fierce when these two sides meet in the quarter-final.
Team News: England coach Gareth Southgate will be without the services of Raheem Sterling and Callum Wilson. France coach Didier Deschamps has a fully fit squad at his disposal.
Form Guide: (Last five matches, most recent first)
England: W - W - D - W - D
France: W - L - W - W - L
Head-to-Head
Games Played: 31
England Wins: 17
France Wins: 9
Draw: 5
Betting Odds: (Bet365)
England: 3.00
France: 2.40
Draw: 3.25
Predicted Line-Ups:
England Possible Starting 11 (4-3-3): Pickford; Walker, Stones, Maguire, Shaw; Rice, Bellingham, Henderson; Saka, Kane, Foden.
France Possible Starting 11 (4-2-3-1): Lloris; Kounde, Varane, Upamecano, T. Hernandez; Tchouameni, Rabiot; Dembele, Griezmann, Mbappe; Giroud.
Prediction:
England 0 - 0 France (France to win 5-4 on penalties)
Where to watch and match timing: The match will kick off at 12:30 AM IST on Sunday, December 11, and will be beamed live on Sports18 and Sports18 HD. Fans can also stream the action online on JioCinema’s official website.
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