This clash between France and England is a third place play-off with very little on the line for either side, which means both teams should release the handbrake a bit and play with freedom. Even if there is rotation, there will still be plenty of attacking talent on show, which makes goals a target. 

England have been an entertaining side to watch at the World Cup so far, and BTTS has landed in all four of their knockout matches. Chances have typically been available at both ends of the field, and their only clean sheets have come against Panama and Ghana. However, the Three Lions have been strong in the final third, and they will be confident of at least finding the back of the net here.

Both sides were also dealt significant injury blows in the semi-finals - William Saliba had to be withdrawn due to a back injury, while England are going to be without Reece James and Declan Rice here. That should only make the game even more open. 

France have averaged 9.57 corners per game at this World Cup, and this selection has landed in six of their seven matches, including all four knockouts. England have been just as good to target for corners, with 10.13 corners per game, with a much more even split than France. Thomas Tuchel’s men are averaging 5.13 corners for, and 5.0 against, which again emphasizes how their games have been quite even.

Kylian Mbappe was kept unusually quiet against Spain in the semi-final, managing just three shots with none hitting the target, but that performance was an outlier.

Up until that point, the Real Madrid man had been devastating in the final third, scoring eight goals from six appearances to sit joint-top of the Golden Boot charts with Lionel Messi.

Mbappe will want to start this game, knowing that another goal gives him the chance to claim the outright Golden Boot for the second consecutive World Cup.

He is averaging 4.71 shots per 90 at the World Cup so far, which is comfortably the highest figure in the French squad, and he notably started against Norway in the final group stage game, despite Les Bleus being mathematically secured of progression.

For England, Jude Bellingham has been the standout performer, and it was his excellent performances in the knockouts which got the Three Lions to where they are. He bagged a brace against Senegal, before following that up with another two goals against Norway in the quarter-finals, taking his tally to six goals at the World Cup. 

He was left frustrated against Argentina, but England struggled in that match, and sat deep after taking the lead. They managed just five shots as a team, and should play with a lot more attacking intent against France here. Bellingham is averaging 2.53 shots per 90 at the World Cup so far, and he tends to be accurate with his efforts, recording a shot on target in five of his seven starts so far.

Reece James suffered another injury setback against Argentina, so he is unlikely to feature here, which means Nico O'Reilly could return to his fullback position.

It’s uncertain who will start on the right wing for France, but Ousmane Dembele has typically occupied that position throughout the tournament, while Michael Olise also usually drifts wide. O’Reilly looks set to have his hands full defensively here. 

O'Reilly had an average of 1.49 fouls per 90 across all competitions for Man City in the 25/26 season, which was one of the highest figures in Pep Guardiola’s squad. Considering how adept Man City are at retaining possession, that is quite a notable figure. He likes to get stuck into duels, which bodes well for this selection.

Olise finished the 25/26 domestic season with 22 goals and 26 assists from 52 appearances for Bayern Munich across all competitions.

Those numbers are incredibly impressive, and it worked out to a goal involvement every 68 minutes. At the World Cup for France, he hasn’t managed to find the back of the net just yet, but his output has remained high. Olise has recorded five assists, which is more than any other player in the competition. 

You could argue he is also overdue a goal, as he has been quite unlucky up until this point not to find the back of the net. Olise has taken a total of 17 shots, of which five have hit the target, and he has hit the woodwork twice.

Anderson has been a consistent presence in England's midfield throughout the tournament, and he has started all seven matches so far.

His shot output has dropped in the knockout rounds, but England’s approach here will hopefully be a lot less cautious, despite it being a tough matchup.

France are great when it comes to limiting clear-cut chances for their opponents, but they can often leave space on their edge of the box for opposing midfielders to shoot from range. 

Anderson should be given license to get forward a bit more here, and he has shown that he doesn’t hesitate to let fly when the space opens up. He had four shots against Ghana in the group stages.

Maxence Lacroix was brought on after Saliba's early exit against Spain, and he finished the match with two fouls to his name.

He was handed his first World Cup start against Norway in the group stages, and he again accounted for two of France’s eleven fouls, and was fortunate to escape a caution in the end. 

Didier Deschamps likes his centre backs to be aggressive in their fuels - Dayot Upamecano has committed a foul in six out of seven matches at the World Cup, while Saliba recorded four fouls in his three knockout starts prior to the semi-final. Lacroix will have a tough matchup against the England forwards here, which makes this price stand out.

On the opposite side, Dan Burn could be handed his first World Cup start by Thomas Tuchel here if the German manager opts for some changes.

The Newcastle centre-back committed one foul against Argentina in the semi final, despite only being introduced for the final eight minutes. 

He had an average of 1.54 fouls per 90 for Newcastle in the 25/26 Premier League campaign, which translated to ten yellow cards and a red.


He had one of the worst disciplinary records in the entire division, which shows just how aggressive he tends to be in his challenges. He is likely to be up against Mbappe here, and that looks like a serious mismatch.