It will be the tournament’s joint-gevaarlikste attack with 12 goals against the tournament’s leading goalscorer Kylian Mbappe when England and France cross swords in Al Khor tomorrow at 9pm.
England manager Gareth Southgate is wrestling with the biggest dilemma of his reign as he tries to plot a way to stop the "sensational" Kylian Mbappe 👏
— SuperSport Football ⚽️ (@SSFootball) December 7, 2022
In what will be a shoot-to-kill affêre, with both teams gevaarlik in front of goal, it could come down to the men in the box - goalkeepers Jordan Pickford and France counterpart Hugo Lloris to keep out the hotshots.
Jordan Pickford’s invisible saves are England’s secret World Cup weapon https://t.co/WFhiakseU6
— TARIQ MAHMOOD (@TARIQMA10791567) December 9, 2022
With the most clean sheets (three) in the tournament to date, Pickford will be confident heading into the clash knowing that his team had never lost to France in a World Cup - beating them in their only two meetings in 1966 and again in 1982.
England also hold the upper hand in terms of overall meetings, having won 17 of their 31 matches, with France winning nine.
But the Franse are min gespin about history, becoming the first defending champions since Brazil in 2006 to reach the quarters - thereby snapping the curse that saw Spain and Germany exit at the group stage in 2014 and 2018.
And Pickford is wary of the defending champions saying: “ “[They are] Reigning champions, they’ve got Mbappe, other great players, it’s going to be tough opponents…
“[But] they’ve got to be worried about us as well, our threat in attack and we’ve got players who come off the bench as well…”
France defender Ibrahima Konate is well aware of the threat posed by England, who will have Raheem Sterling back for the clash after he left for England following a housebreaking.
The Liverpool ace highlights the tournament’s assist-king Harry Kane, who alongside Portugal’s Bruno Fernandes tops the chart with three, and says: “Kane is a great player… [but] we have to look at the whole team, not just one player.
“If we play together, and stay compact we can do well. I would not target a single player.”
The winner of this clash will face the winner of Morocco and Portugal in the semis.