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2022 FIFA World Cup
Quarter-finals
England v France
Al Bayt Stadium
Al Khor, Qatar
Saturday, 10 December 2022
Kick-off is at 21h00
France will look to edge ever closer to defending their
World Cup crown when they lock horns with England in the quarter-finals on Saturday, December 10.
The 2018 champions bounced back from their shock 1-0 defeat to Tunisia in the final round of the group stages by dispatching Poland 3-1 in the last 16 on Sunday.
Olivier Giroud opened the scoring on 44 minutes to become Les Bleus' all-time leading goalscorer and Kylian Mbappe (74', 90+1') bagged a second-half brace to seal the victory, with Robert Lewandowski (90+9') netting a late consolation from the penalty spot.
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Giroud, who spent nine years of his career playing in the English Premier League, is hoping his vast knowledge of the opposition will aid Didier Deschamps' side.
"For England, they have had a good tournament. I hope they will have a tough game on Saturday," the former Arsenal and Chelsea striker said.
"I know this team very well, we were talking with [Tottenham captain] Hugo [Lloris] regarding this game and we said we don't want to lose against England. It's a special game for us.
"They have so many young players in this generation, I think they have quality but quantity also in the squad. They have different options and it will be a nice game to watch. I hope it's going to go well for us."
The Three Lions won Group B with an unbeaten record and they secured a comfortable 3-0 win over Senegal in the round of 16 on Sunday.
Jordan Henderson broke the deadlock in the 38th minute and Harry Kane added a second on the stoke of half-time before Bukayo Saka wrapped up the victory on 57 minutes.
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England head coach Gareth Southgate admits his players will face their first real test of the tournament against the defending champions but is confident they have gained enough experience to overcome the next obstacle.
"This is the acid test for us, we know this is a step up from what we've had so far," Southgate said. "But the team have garnered so much experience in the last few years, they're playing with confidence and we look threatening.
"We're scoring goals and another clean sheet is lovely to see. We're in a good place but we know the level of the opposition as well."
The two teams have met twice before in the World Cup, with England triumphing on both occasions in 1966 and 1982. They beat France 2-0 in the group stages on home soil before going on to win their maiden title and won 3-1 in their opening match at Spain '82.
Head-to-Head:
Matches - 31
England - 17
France - 9
Draws - 5
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