Home Sweet Home, or Allez During Saturday night’s quarterfinal matchup between England and France at the World Cup 2022, the final whistle will be met by a chorus of “Les Bleus” echoing out over the Al Bayt Stadium.
After scoring three goals against Senegal without allowing any in return, England moved on to the eighth round. At the same time, the defending champions won 3-1 against Poland to keep their title defence chances alive.
FIFA World Cup Match Preview: England vs France
A sloppy, error-filled Early on, England appeared the most likely to surrender against Senegal, who did not give the Three Lions a second to breathe with their aggressive pressure. However, the game transformed when 19-year-old Jude Bellingham grabbed control of the situation.
Bellingham assisted on both of England’s goals—in Henderson’s the 38th minute and Kane’s 52nd in the last minute before halftime—and Gareth Southgate’s decision to recall Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka was rewarded when the latter scored the third goal for England in the 57th.
A semi-final match against either Morocco or Portugal awaits the runners-up of Euro 2020 if they can eliminate the holders, and Southgate was pleased to see his team show a streak of “ruthlessness” in a game where a subpar start led to a familiar feeling of dread.
England has been regularly eliminated from the World Cup at the quarterfinal stage, having done so in 1954, 1962, 1970, 1986, 2002, and 2006, with six of those eight losses coming at the hands of other European countries.
English hopes are high after three World Cup games without allowing a goal, and Southgate has a chance to make history by being the first manager in Three Lions history to take his side to more than one semi-final. However, the most daunting of fearsome opponents stand in their way.
FIFA World Cup Team News: England vs France
The revelation that Chelsea forward Raheem Sterling had his house broken into over the weekend casts a shade over England’s triumph against Senegal. Sterling may return to Qatar for the tournament. Arsenal’s Ben White remains absent for personal reasons.
Southgate has also been dealt a slight scare with Declan Rice, who missed training on Wednesday owing to sickness. However, his condition is unlikely to prevent him from participating on Saturday. Callum Wilson is also nursing a minor injury, but he was never expected to start.
Many have speculated that Southgate may return to a three-person backline for the weekend. Still, the 52-year-old has suggested that he will remain with the tried-and-true 4-3-3 configuration, which has yielded positive results so far, enabling Henderson to link up with Rice and Bellingham in the midfield again.
The media went into a frenzy when France’s top scorer, Mbappe, missed training on Tuesday owing to ankle pain, but the 23-year-old forward returned to the practice fields on Wednesday and is expected to start for the French team.
Incredible as it may be, France has won all nine World Cup games that Mbappe has started. His offensive partner Giroud has three goals to his credit in Qatar. They could tie the record set by Roger Milla, the oldest player to score four goals at a World Cup (he was 38).
Aurelien Tchouameni and Jules Kounde will miss any semi-final if they are yellow-carded tonight. However, Deschamps is unlikely to consider any on-field disciplinary infringements when picking his best XI.
- England Predicted Starting Lineup: Pickford, Stones, Maguire, Walker, Shaw, Rice, Henderson, Bellingham, Saka, Kane, Foden.
- France Predicted Starting Lineup: Lloris, Varane, Kounde, Upamecano, Tchouameni, T. Hernandez, Rabiot, Griezmann, Mbappe, Dembele, Giroud.
FIFA World Cup Match Prediction: England 1-3 France
The longer this quarterfinal goes on, the better for England, who has a wealth of offensive firepower on the bench, ready to impact fatigued French legs.
However, Southgate’s team has started slowly in their past three World Cup matches, and Mbappe and Giroud will be ready to capitalize on another poor start.
Our best guess is that France will again send the Three Lions home empty-handed after Saturday’s match. The outcome may depend on how successfully each team manages Mbappe and Bellingham’s outstanding characteristics.
