England vs. France: Top Storylines, Odds, Live Stream for World Cup 2022
The 2022 FIFA World Cup quarterfinal with most attention paid to it should be Saturday's clash between England and France.
France is the reigning World Cup winner, and it has one of the top-five players in the world in Kylian Mbappé.
Les Bleus do not rely on Mbappé to do everything, but he is a massive piece of what they produce in the final third.
England has been at least a semifinalist at its last two major tournaments, but it has been unable to score the elusive tournament victory.
The Three Lions have been impressive in the final third over four games. That may lead some experts to believe that they can hang with France.
England scored nine group-stage goals without Harry Kane finding the back of the net. The Tottenham Hotspur forward scored his first goal in Qatar in the round of 16.
The match will center around the big names, but the role players on each side could be massive in either containing the stars on the other side or coming up with one or two big plays to make a difference on the field.
Odds and Match Info
90-Minute Money Line
France (+150; bet $100 to win $150)
England (+200)
To Advance to Next Round
France (-130; bet $130 to win $100)
England (+105)
Match Info
Date: Saturday, December 10
Start Time: 2 pm ET
TV: Fox
Live Stream: FoxSports.com and Fox Sports app
Can the French Attack Keep Rolling?
France's attack has looked like the strongest in the tournament at parts of the three games its top attackers played together.
Kylian Mbappé, Olivier Giroud and Co. rolled four goals past Australia and two past Denmark to kick off the group stage.
France's best attackers did not come on until the final 30 minutes of the group finale against Tunisia. Les Bleus did everything but score in that stretch of the game.
The well-rested France attack scored three times against Poland in the round of 16 to set up the blockbuster clash with England.
France's attack gains attention because of Mbappé, but it achieves success because there are multiple elements to the unit that can hurt teams at any time.
Antoine Griezmann and Ousmane Dembélé do the dirty work in between the defensive channels to keep the attack balanced while Mbappé surges down the wing.
Giroud has been the perfect true striker to pair with the trio of attacking midfielders. He has three goals in Qatar and he became France's all-time leading scorer with his goal against Poland.
Giroud will face a tougher challenge in the air against England's center backs on Saturday.
That could lead to Griezmann and Dembele carrying more importance for the final result. The deeper-lying players in the French midfield could also get involved to overload certain parts of the field and open up spaces for Mbappe and Giroud.
Mbappe and Giroud will get their chances at some point, but the final result could be determined by how effective Griezmann and Dembele are in breaking down the other parts of the English defense.
England Faces More Pressure to Advance
All of the pressure to win the match is on England.
France already has its World Cup from this generation of players and it is set for the future with Mbappé running the show.
England has come close to winning a trophy lately, but it has not delivered when it mattered the most.
The Three Lions lost the UEFA Euro 2020 final on home soil and fell to Croatia in the semifinal of the last World Cup.
England has gotten over the quarterfinal hump that plagued it at the World Cup from 2000-2016, but now the expectations are higher.
England is the underdog in the matchup with France, but it should be able to play with its European rival.
Gareth Southgate's side is one of the best in the world. Its attack has been in remarkable form in Qatar, and it has defenders capable of slowing down Mbappé for long stretches.
England needs to prove it can get a big result against France, and then it could make the World Cup final with a win over Morocco or Portugal.
If not, the Three Lions will be judged for having a disappointing tournament by the new high standards they have set for themselves.
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