World Cup 2022: Where England’s quarter-final clash with France will be won and lost
World Cup matches do not come much bigger than England’s quarter-final clash with France on Saturday night.
But Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate is no stranger to these kinds of fixtures, having already led his nation to the semi-finals of Russia 2018 and the Euro 2020 final.
However, France are the reigning world champions and have an impressive recent history in World Cup knockout matches.
Prior to their triumph four and a half years ago, Les Bleus reached the quarter-finals in 2014, lost to Italy in the 2006 final and lifted the trophy on home soil in 1998.
Ahead of this seismic encounter, we’ve used the Twenty3 Toolbox to find out where the game could be won and lost.
Mbappe battle
Kylian Mbappe is a truly sensational footballer – and if England allow him to make an impact in attacking areas then the result will only go one way.
The Paris Saint-Germain star has scored the most goals at the tournament (5) and has registered the joint-second most assists (2).
He is a constant threat in the final third, attempting more shots (22) than any other player at Qatar 2022.
Kyle Walker has the tough task of handling Mbappe on Saturday, so will have to use all his experience and speed to blunt the explosive 23-year-old.
Kane form
Harry Kane did not score in 246 minutes of football during the group stage – a record which will undoubtedly have irritated the Three Lions’ captain.
However, his first-half strike against Senegal in the Round of 16 ended that barren run, while taking him one step closer to becoming England’s all-time top scorer. He is just one strike behind Wayne Rooney (53) and will be desperate to draw level with the legendary frontman against France.
And, despite a lack of goals, Kane is still having a fantastic World Cup. After all, the 29-year-old has registered three assists so far, which is the most of any player at the tournament.
France will have to stop Kane dropping deep and creating, if they want to nullify England’s attacking plan.
Midfield match-up
Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice, and Jordan Henderson have won plenty of plaudits for their performances in midfield during this tournament.
Meanwhile, Adrien Rabiot and Aurelien Tchouameni have formed an impressive partnership themselves. The former has won 13 ground defensive duels – the 13th-best in the competition and level with Bellingham.
Tchouameni is a key figure for France in possession, having completed 288 passes so far. That’s inside the top ten players at Qatar 2022.
The same can be said for England’s Rice, who is often tasked with helping England progress the ball from deeper positions. He has attempted 99 one-touch passes, which is the second-most to date.
Wherever you look, the midfield battle between these sides will be a mouth-watering one.
Goals galore
England and France have been scoring goals for fun at this World Cup, with both of their forward lines firing on all cylinders.
The Three Lions have scored 12 times in the opening four matches – joint-top with Portugal. But France aren’t far behind in third place, with nine goals so far.
England boast an array of goalscorers: Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Raheem Sterling, Bellingham, Henderson, and Kane have all chipped in.
Meanwhile, Mbappe and Olivier Giround have scored eight of France’s nine strikes, while Rabiot has chipped in with one.
Dogged defence
After all the question marks surrounding England’s defence prior to the tournament, their rearguard has been extremely solid.
Southgate’s side have kept three clean sheets in a row – an impressive stat for any nation at a World Cup. France, in contrast, have not managed a single shut-out.
England (133) have made more interceptions than France (113) and the Three Lions (57) have also regained possession in the opposition half more than Didier Deschamps’ outfit (41).
Stopping Les Bleus’ scintillating attack will be a different challenge to anything the Three Lions have faced so far, but their commendable defensive numbers offer hope of making progress to the semi-finals.
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