England did not have a great start vs Senegal in the previous round and were second best for the opening half hour. However, a bit of quality from Jude Bellingham opened up the game to set up Jordan Henderson and the Three Lions eventually took a stranglehold on proceedings, easily prevailing 3-0 in what was eventually a routine victory. England have sometimes started slowly under Gareth Southgate and had to adjust to the strong press that Senegal were applying. They were also slow out of the blocks in several other games such as the disappointing 0-0 draw vs the USA and a poor first half vs Wales. There has been some talk that the manager might switch to a back three system for this fixture, but the general expectation is that England will remain relatively unchanged in their 4-3-3.

Sterling and Rashford will always be pushing for a place in the side but Foden and Saka both played well vs Senegal so should retain their spots. All of the talk ahead of this game is the matchup between Kyle Walker and Kylian Mbappé. Therefore, there might be a temptation from Southgate to revert to a back three and start someone such as Kieran Trippier in the right wing back position. England should be able to exploit the French left hand side with both Saka and potentially Rashford dangerous in those areas. This is the first time since Gareth Southgate took over that England are an underdog in a major tournament match. It is unusual for the Three Lions to be in this position and expectations are usually massively on their shoulders. This is also the toughest team on paper that the English have faced in a competitive fixture under Southgate. It will be interesting to see how they adapt in this situation.

France might start their World Cup quarter-final against England on Saturday as favourites, but with a depleted squad, they face a major challenge to live up to that billing as they continue their defence of the crown that they won in Russia four years ago.

Indeed, questions still linger over Didier Deschamps’ side, particularly in a defensive capacity. In each of their four matches in Qatar, they have conceded a single goal. That inability to keep a clean sheet is liable to be problematic in this encounter. The defence looks distinctly unbalanced, with a changing centre-back partnership and Jules Kounde playing out of position on the right.

In midfield, meanwhile, France will find it harder to dominate this game than their previous matches. While Adrien Rabiot has impressed over the course of the last three weeks, Aurelien Tchouameni has blown a little hot and cold, and his lack of experience is bound to count against him in this encounter.

Where France are strong, though, are in attack. Kylian Mbappe has been the deadliest player at World Cup 2022 thanks to his total of three goals, while Olivier Giroud has played an impressive supporting role and Antoine Griezmann has gone largely unheralded as a key figure in this side.

Given the wealth of attacking options, France have a chance, but with a squad eaten away by injuries elsewhere, they face a major challenge in negotiating this match, despite a strong record against England in recent matches.