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England vs France lineups: Predicted lineup, confirmed team news and injury latest for World Cup 2022 clash.
It’s Coming Home or Allez. On Saturday night, as England takes on France in their World Cup 2022 quarterfinal, the sound of Les Bleus will reverberate throughout the Al Bayt Stadium at the final whistle.
The two nations are longtime rivals in Europe. For England’s World Cup quarterfinal match against France on Saturday, Gareth Southgate will make one of his most significant lineup decisions.
While the defending champions defeated Poland 3-1 to maintain their chances of winning back-to-back championships, the Three Lions defeated Senegal 3-0 without a response to proceed to the round of eight.
There are many similarities between these particular representations of England and France. Both teams have a wealth of young forward talent that is being watched over by managers who have a reputation for continuously keeping one foot on the handbrake.
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Team News:
The news of a break-in at the home of Chelsea attacker Raheem Sterling, who travelled back to the UK over the weekend, overshadowed England’s triumph over Senegal. It is unknown if Sterling will be back in Qatar for the remainder of the tournament. Ben White of Arsenal is also still absent due to personal reasons.
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Declan Rice’s absence from training on Wednesday due to illness has given Southgate a tiny fright, though his illness is unlikely to keep him from playing on Saturday. Callum Wilson is also dealing with a minor injury, although he was never expected to start.
The 52-year-old has suggested that he will remain with the tried-and-true 4-3-3 system that has proven successful so far, allowing Henderson to once again connect with Rice and Bellingham in the middle. Many have predicted that Southgate will switch to a three-man backline for the upcoming match.
Mbappe, the leading scorer for the French team, missed practice on Tuesday because of ankle pain, but this was only a false scare as the 23-year-old was back on the practice fields on Wednesday and should continue in the starting lineup.
Amazingly, France has won all nine of the World Cup games in which Mbappe has started, while Giroud, who has scored three goals in Qatar, has the potential to tie the record of 38-year-old Roger Milla, who is the only player older than 36 to score four goals in a single World Cup.
If they receive yellow cards here, Aurelien Tchouameni and Jules Kounde will both miss any potential semi-final, but Deschamps is unlikely to take any on-field infractions into consideration when assessing his best Eleven.
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Possible Lineup:
England’s possible starting lineup:
Pickford; Walker, Stones, Maguire, Shaw; Bellingham, Rice, Henderson; Saka, Kane, Foden
France’s possible starting lineup:
Lloris; Kounde, Varane, Upamecano, T. Hernandez; Tchouameni, Rabiot; Dembele, Griezmann, Mbappe; Giroud
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Score prediction:
Prediction: England 2-2 France