Perhaps one of the toughest game to expect in the world cup is the quarter final rivalry between two elephants – England and France.
Many would call it the battle between life and death that has with it loads of breath leaving moments, talents unveiled and history.
It is reported that many England fans have had the possibility of a rift between the two rivals and so it is little of less surprising, however competitive and tough.
In a press release by the Coach Gareth Southgate, it would be the toughest test so far for the Three Lions.
This can also be said of France Coach who have stated that they would stake it all in the game as “they are viciously prepared for a fight”.
The game itself will be historic: It is the first time the men’s sides have met in a knockout game in any competition, and the first time at a World Cup since 1982.
It will feature leading France forward and Golden Boot contender Kylian Mbappe, and Jude Bellingham, the England midfielder whose name is on everyone’s lips. Will either of them make the difference?
England have scored 12 goals so far, and France nine – so will Saturday’s game, which kicks off at 19:00 GMT be a thriller, or a cagey encounter? Will it go to penalties?
Asked what England’s weaknesses are, France head coach Deschamps replied: “They don’t have any.
“All teams have strengths, not all have many weaknesses, but slightly less strong points. At the end of the day, you need to identify areas where you think you can attack them.
“Pace is often one of the keys to the match. When quick, the opponent has less time to be organised. You need more than just pace to score goals. You can stop a lot of things but it’s very difficult to stop someone who is very quick, especially in transitions.
“England are very strong in that area and scored lots of goals with quick counter-attacks. They also have many other qualities in terms of technical ability, capacity to score goals and being dangerous on set pieces.
“It’s not by chance they are facing us in the quarter-finals”.
When asked how England would perform, South Gates said
“There have been some defeats that hurt that prepare you for nights like tomorrow, where you have to be the very best version of yourself. We are ready to fight France for that place in the semi-finals.”
“In terms of our experiences, those big matches are important reference points for the team,” said Southgate.
“We have entered this tournament hoping and believing we can win it. We have to got to a stage we expected to be at and now it is about trying to push on.”
France are unlikely to change their formation with Mbappe returning to training after being given a day off. Other English players like Harry Kane,Callum Winslow and Denclan Rice have returned to training after slight Injuries with Sterling returning back to the squad after the brief break.
