The 2022 Fifa World Cup’s quarterfinal bouts will draw to a close with arguably the most anticipated matchup of the tournament to date when England and France lock horns at Al Khor stadium on Saturday.
The overall head-to-head between the two nations paints quite a different picture than the one brought about by recent results. Having played each other 31 times in all competitions, England have won 17 matches, France have won nine, and five have ended in a stalemate.
That gives England a win rate of 55%, which seems pretty impressive compared to France’s 29%, but the Three Lions have found Les Bleus much tougher to face in recent times, securing only one victory in their last eight meetings.
England might be the more wary of the two sides given France’s contemporary reputation, but history favours Southgate’s men in another manner – their head-to-head World Cup record. The sides have previously met twice at the World Cup, with England beating France 2-0 during their 1966 campaign followed by another win at the 1982 World Cup, claiming a 3-1 victory.
But records and history will do little to stop someone wielding the football powers of France’s Kylian Mbappe. The striker’s two spectacular hits, which knocked Poland out of the World Cup, have taken Mbappe’s tally to five goals in Qatar and created a two-goal buffer at the top of the Golden Boot standings.
Except for the game against Tunisia, in which France went scoreless, Mbappe has bagged goals in every other game. But it is not only the regularity of his goals that should send shivers down opponents’ spines, the nonchalant nature of his long-range strikes and accompanied pinpoint accuracy can change the trajectory of any game in a flash.
Mbappe's amazing goal against Poland from the stands π«π·π₯#FRAPOL
pic.twitter.com/qvIKNljqEa— ππ Έππ Ύπ (@zi_46) December 4, 2022
On the long list of players sitting in second on the top scorers list, with three goals apiece, England find two of their own in Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka.
Marcus Rashford, surprisingly still 25 years old, has never quite found his feet playing for Manchester United, with the forward unable to keep consistent form in order to start more regularly, but a slight uptake in form in the Premier League, just before the World Cup break, has seemingly spurred the striker into a higher gear for England.
A free-kick from Marcus Rashford you can watch on repeat! ππ#LetItFly with @qatarairways pic.twitter.com/CJbpE4ZAHY
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) November 30, 2022
Another English talent that has taken the Premier League by storm and looks right at home in the national side, is Arsenal midfielder Bukayo Saka. The 21-year-old is brimming with talent, backed by a scintillating attacking flair and creativity in abundance, qualities that will need to shine bright if England are to topple the World Champions.
Bukayo Saka on which France player to look out for – other than Mbappe: βI like William Saliba!β πβ€οΈ #afc pic.twitter.com/mKPMqypfN8
— afcstuff (@afcstuff) December 6, 2022