Reigning World Cup champions, managed by a former player who lifted the trophy as captain, and with arguably the best player on the planet leading their attacking line, England’s quarter-final opponents France will be their toughest challenge in Qatar so far.
The Three Lions go into their crunch clash with Les Bleus on 10 December in excellent form, off the back of a comfortable 3-0 win against Senegal at Qatar’s Al Bayt Stadium on Sunday night – a win which means they are still unbeaten in this tournament.
But, when they return to the 68,000-seater stadium on Saturday, it is a knock-out game with one of the tournament favourites, France, that awaits Gareth Southgate’s side.
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Managed by Didier Deschamps, who captained France as a player when they won the 1998 World Cup on home soil in Paris, and with star striker Kylian Mbappe in scintillating form, England will have their work cut out to topple the defending champions, who progressed to the quarter-finals with a 3-1 win over Poland.
What do we know about France?
France arrived in Qatar with plenty of expectation on their shoulders, having lifted the World Cup trophy at the last tournament, in Russia in 2018, and with the bulk of the squad returning this time around.
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At the start of the tournament, data experts Opta had France as third favourites for the tournament, behind Brazil and Argentina, and ahead of Spain and England.
And they have largely lived up to expectations so far, winning three of their four games and scoring nine goals in the process, with an uncostly final group game slip-up against Tunisia the only blot on their card.
Their star striker Kylian Mbappe, widely-regarded as the best player in the world right now, is also in top form, leading the race for the World Cup Golden Boot award with five goals.
The two-time World Cup winners currently sit in fourth in the FIFA World Rankings, a place above England, and come into the tournament having won UEFA’s 2021 Nations League final against Spain in October last year.
That win put behind a disappointing Euro 2020 campaign, which saw them crash out at the round of 16 after a penalty shootout defeat to Switzerland.
Les Bleus come into the tournament without a number of key names from their line-up, including star midfielders Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kante, and current Ballon d’Or holder Karim Benzema, who are all out with injury.
France’s former World Cup-winning manager
Alongside retaining most of their 2018 World Cup-winning squad, including captain and goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, France also have a tournament winner – both as a manager and a player – in the dugout.
20 years after lifting the trophy as captain of the French national side in 1998, it was Deschamps who led Les Bleus to World Cup glory in Russia.
The 54-year-old played as a midfielder and featured alongside Zinedine Zidane and Thierry Henry when they lifted the trophy on home soil after a 3-0 win over Brazil in the final in Paris.
He was still captain two years later when France triumphed in Euro 2000.
Deschamps, who played for Juventus, Chelsea and Marseille in his club career, also won the Champions League with the Italian side, making him only the second player in history to captain a team to success in football’s three biggest tournaments.
The stars to watch out for
Kylian Mbappe
At the still relatively young age of 23, PSG forward Mbappe is widely regarded as the world’s best footballer and the future face of the sport, with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo approaching the end of their careers.
With electric pace and an eye for goal, Mbappe has already scored 33 goals in 63 appearances for France and leads the race for the Golden Boot at this year’s World Cup, with five goals already this tournament.
He scored two stunning strikes in France’s 3-1 win against Poland in the round of 16 and will be a big test for England’s defence on Saturday.
Olivier Giroud
Despite being 36-years-old, Giroud remains an integrable part of France’s attacking threat. Benzema’s injury has gifted him a place in France’s starting line-up so far in the tournament, and the veteran has risen to the challenge by scoring three goals.
The 6ft 3in (1.93m) former Chelsea and Arsenal centre forward provides a focal point for France’s forward line, helping to hold up the ball and provide space for the likes of Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele.
He is also a threat in front of goal and became France’s all-time leading goalscorer on Saturday in his side’s 3-1 victory over Poland.
Giroud, who overtook Thierry Henry, has scored 52 goals in 116 appearances for France.
He famously failed to net in France’s 2018 World Cup win, despite playing as a striker, but was instrumental in his side’s tournament-winning campaign.
Hugo Lloris
While France have an abundance of attacking talent, captain and goalkeeper Lloris is a key part of Les Bleus’s line-up at the other end of the pitch.
The experienced Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper, 35, equalled France’s appearances record against Poland on Saturday – his 142 for his country.
He captained France to victory in 2018, as well as France’s success in Euro 2020.
Lloris has an impressive backline in front of him, including the likes of Barcelona star Jules Kounde and Manchester defender Rafael Varane.
But England will be hopeful of finding a way through Lloris, who has yet to keep a clean sheet this tournament.
England’s record against France
While France will go into Saturday’s quarter-final clash as slight favourites, history is on England’s side.
Despite France having more success in terms of tournament wins than England, the head-to-head record actually favours the Three Lions.
Over the last 100 years, England have faced France 31 times, winning 17, losing 9 and drawing 5. Famously, England beat France 2-0 in 1966 on their way to tournament victory.
But France have certainly had the upper hand since the turn of the millenium, winning four times and losing just once to the Three Lions in the last seven games between the two sides.
The most recent clash between England and France was an international friendly in June 2017, which ended 3-2 to Les Bleus.
