World Cup quarter-final: England vs. France prediction, preview and team news

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. 

Possible starting XIs

• England: Pickford, Walker, Stones, Maguire, Shaw, Henderson, Rice, Bellingham, Foden, Kane, Saka
• France: Lloris, Kounde, Varane, Upamecano, Hernandez, Rabiot, Tchouameni, Dembele, Griezmann, Mbappé, Giroud

Jude Bellingham celebrates England’s opener against Senegal 

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)
• Midfielders: Eduardo Camavinga (Real Madrid), Youssouf Fofana (Monaco), Matteo Guendouzi (Marseille), Adrien Rabiot (Juventus), Aurelien Tchouameni (Real Madrid), Jordan Veretout (Marseille)
• Forwards: Kingsley Coman (Bayern Munich), Ousmane Dembele (Barcelona), Olivier Giroud (AC Milan), Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid), Kylian Mbappe (Paris St-Germain), Randal Kolo Muani (Eintracht Frankfurt)

Article source: https://www.theweek.co.uk/news/sport/football/958816/world-cup-quarter-final-england-vs-france-prediction-preview