Qatar World Cup 2022 England vs France – prediction, team news, lineups
England will take on France at the Al Bayt Stadium on Saturday in the World Cup 2022 quarter-final. Will England get closer to bringing football home?
England put three past Senegal to advance to the final eight, whilst France overcame Poland 3-1 to keep their hopes of winning the World Cup again.
England’s last win wasn’t without error however, the first 20 minutes were touch and go, and Senegal highlighted England’s biggest weakness – the defensive line. But following Jordan Henderson’s goal for England, golden boy Jude Bellingham took control of the entire game and led England to victory. And much of whether England have a chance of beating France will come down to whether Bellingham and Henderson can continue to command the midfield and if Kyle Walker can keep France’s Mbappe at bay.
Bellingham set up Henderson for the opening goal in the 38th minute, he played a key role in Harry Kane’s 52nd-minute goal and then Bukayo Saka gave England their third goal of the game.
Boss Gareth Southgate spoke of his delight at seeing England show their “ruthlessness” in another game where England started out really poorly.
However, history is not on the Three Lion’s side and the team have often exited at the quarter-final stage. England have fallen short in this stage of the competition in the 1954, 1962, 1970, 1986, 2002 and 2006 tournaments, and six of their last eight World Cup eliminations have come against fellow European nations.
But England, unlike France, did not lose a game in the group stages and are on a three-game streak without conceding at the World Cup. England made it to the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup and no doubt Southgate will want to at least get to the semis again.
France’s Giroud teaming up with Mbappe – a player with explosive power and star quality – is likely to give England’s defensive line a tough night.
France have reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup in five of the last seven editions – including each of their last three and have won in eight of their last 10 knockout ties against fellow EUFA nations.
But France are still without a clean sheet in the Qatar World Cup and have lost its last two meetings with England at the tournament in 1966 and 1982. But recent history does not benefit England – who have only won one in their last eight against France.
England team news
England’s win over Senegal was overshadowed by news of a break-in at the home of Raheem Sterling, who flew back to the UK over the weekend, But he’s back in training as of Friday – though its not clear if he’ll be included in the starting XI as a result of missed training.
Callum Wilson has a mirror strain but isn’t expected to start, and Declan Rice missed training on Tuesday due to illness, although he’s expected to be in the starting XI for Saturday.
Southgate might revert to a three-man backline for the weekend, but the England boss has hinted he may stick with the 4-3-3 setup that has worked well for the team so far. Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice and Jordan Henderson will likely start in midfield again.
France team news
Mbappe missed training on Tuesday due to discomfort with his ankle, but the star player was back in training on Wednesday and is set to form an unchanged XI.
France have won all nine of their World Cup matches that Mbappe has started, and his attacking partner Giroud – who has scored three goals to his name in Qatar – could equal a record set by Roger Milla.
Aurelien Tchouameni and Jules Kounde could miss a semi-final if they are yellow-carded in the England game, but it’s unlikely to factor into any decision of the starting XI.
England possible starting lineup:
Pickford; Walker, Stones, Maguire, Shaw; Bellingham, Rice, Henderson; Saka, Kane, Foden
France possible starting lineup:
Lloris; Kounde, Varane, Upamecano, T. Hernandez; Tchouameni, Rabiot; Dembele, Griezmann, Mbappe; Giroud
When is it?
The match is scheduled to kick off at 7pm GMT (10pm local time) on Saturday 10 December.
The fixture is set to take place at the Al-Bayt Stadium in Al Khor.
How can I watch it?
England vs France will air live on ITV 1 in the UK, and it will stream live on the broadcaster’s ITVX website and app.
Predictions
The longer this quarter-final goes on, the more it will benefit England, who have an abundance of attacking talent on the bench waiting to make a difference against tired French legs.
On the other hand, Southgate’s side have not exploded out of the blocks in their last three World Cup encounters, and the clinical pairing of Mbappe and Giroud will need no second invitation to take advantage of another slow start.
The result of Saturday’s game could come down to how well the respective nations can contain Mbappe and Bellingham’s star qualities, but we are struggling to see a way for England to prevail and can only envisage France sending the Three Lions home empty-handed again. – England 1-3 France – (SportsMole)
Some more pessimistic England fans have claimed that France will steamroll Southgate’s side. The truth is that, even with France as favourites, games like this tend to be cagey, which is worth bearing in mind. England’s last two major tournament exits have come after the team has led, so don’t be surprised if they score first here – only to be undone by France’s greater quality in the long run. England 1-2 France after extra time – (The Independent)
Whilst France are clearly the favourites, this is a World Cup full of shocks and upsets – and we think they’ll be another one here. With Bellingham, Rice, Henderson, Saka and Kane England can control this game. Even if they don’t have high possession – if Bellingham can control of the midfield (along with Henderson and Rice) and Kyle Walker – who has immense speed – can keep Mbappe at bay, England might get one step closer to bringing football home. With Sterling back in Qatar, even if he doesn’t start the game, the team will feel the boost of having a key figure back in camp. England have great attacking prowess on the bench as well, and may even see Trent on the field in defence. England need to attack, and continue attacking to the end of the game. England 3-1 France – (WTX Sport)
