England vs. France: 5 matchups that will decide quarterfinal
AL RAYYAN, Qatar — England and defending champion France face off Saturday (2 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app) at Al Bayt Stadium in perhaps the marquee game of quarterfinal round at the 2022 World Cup.
Here are five individual matchups that could decide the outcome.
You can't stop Les Bleus headliner Mbappé; you can only hope to contain him. That's the unenviable task facing Three Lions right back Walker, who will go head-to-head with perhaps the planet's best player, who has the license from French coach Didier Deschamps to roam the field but still operates mostly on the left side — where both of his all-world goals in the 3-1 round of 16 victory over Poland were scored.
Kylian Mbappe puts on a show
Mbappé, 23, is expected to start despite missing training earlier in the week.
"It was a little recovery session," teammate Ibrahima Konate said Thursday. "There's nothing to worry about."
Walker could be uniquely qualified for the matchup. Kieran Trippier started England's first two games at right back before being replaced by the faster, more physical Manchester City fullback for the last two. Walker is one of the few defenders who can keep pace with Mbappé, who managed just one goal in four games against Walker while playing for Paris Saint-Germain against City in the Champions League over the last two seasons.
"You have to give him respect but not too much," Walker said Wednesday. "I'm not going to roll out a red carpet for him and tell him to go and score."
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Jude Bellingham vs. Aurélien Tchouaméni
Just 19, England midfielder Bellingham has been one of the breakout players in Qatar. But Tchouaméni himself is no slouch, which is why Real Madrid paid north of $100 million for the defensive midfielder's services over the summer.
Tchouaméni wasn't supposed to start at this World Cup. But with Les Bleus' unsung 2018 hero N'Golo Kanté left off Deschamps' roster because of injury, the 22-year-old has started all four games for France.
His ability to cover ground has been a revelation so far, and Bellingham struggled mightily against another uber-athletic foe, the United States' Yunus Musah, earlier in the tournament.
Antoine Griezmann vs. Declan Rice
Griezmann played as a striker when France won the World Cup in 2018, but he has been deployed in a central playmaking role in Qatar.
"I must be the link between the defense and the forwards," he said last week. "I have three players in front of me, so more options. It's easier for me."
Rice, who has emerged as one of the top defensive midfielders in the sport over the last year, will try to disrupt Griezmann's rhythm by limiting his time and space. "When we lose the ball high up the pitch," fellow England midfielder Jordan Henderson said of Rice, "he's always there to protect and help the defenders cover the ground."
England-France preview
Kane led the last World Cup with six goals but has just one in Qatar, which came in the Three Lions' 3-0 victory over Senegal in their first knockout stage test. But he's a big-game player who will probably have to find the net against Les Bleus if England is to pull off the upset.
It won't be easy against the Real Madrid center back, another starter for Deschamps on France's title-winning squad four years ago. Varane, 29, is a better, more experienced defender than he was then.
Kane comes into the match with 52 international goals, one shy of the England record held by Wayne Rooney. But he hasn't faced a stopper with anywhere near the quality of Varane through his first four matches.
Olivier Giroud vs. Harry Maguire
Much was made of the fact that target man Giroud didn't score a single goal during France's run to glory at the last World Cup. The 36-year-old has three in three appearances this time out, the last of which made him the all-time top scorer for his country.
Giroud's hold-up game remains top-notch, and his understanding with Mbappe has only gotten better in recent years. But if there's anyone who can stop the 6-foot-4 striker, it's fellow man-mountain Maguire, the much-maligned Manchester United central defender who has nonetheless formed an almost impenetrable partnership with John Stones for Gareth Southgate's side.
"They understand each other so well and feed off each other, help each other out," England midfielder Kalvin Phillips said. "It's probably the best center half partnership in the World Cup."
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Doug McIntyre is a soccer writer for FOX Sports. Before joining FOX Sports in 2021, he was a staff writer with ESPN and Yahoo Sports and he has covered United States men’s and women’s national teams at multiple FIFA World Cups. Follow him on Twitter @ByDougMcIntyre.
