England are set to play France in the 2022 World Cup quarter-finals.
The Three Lions, led by manager Gareth Southgate, are braced for a huge night of footballing action when they take on Didier Deschamps’ Les Bleus.
With both nations holding their breaths, following Morocco’s shock win against Portugal, the winner of England vs France is likely to become the red-hot favourites to lift the tournament’s prestigious trophy.
But, first things first, if England are to replicate their success from 2018, which saw them face Croatia in the competition’s penultimate round, they must get past Kylian Mbappe’s France – and that won’t be easy.
MORE: England vs France confirmed lineups: Southgate names unchanged XI
Boasting arguably the world’s best player on current form, France will be hoping that Mbappe turns up and puts in a show-stopping performance.
However, England have a plan on how to deal with the Paris Saint-Germain attacker and that will include four defenders at the back, as opposed to five, as previously speculated.
Southgate, who spoke to ITV, around an hour before kick-off, said: “I think our midfield have been really important and you can lose a player in there with some back-three systems.
“We feel we’ve got to get pressure on France and try and cut the supply as much as we try and get a player further up the pitch in our attacking play.”
“We’re going to have to go to the depths to get a result tonight!” ???????
Is this the night where heroes are made…? ?
?? @gabrielclarke05 speaks to Gareth Southgate…#ITVFootball | #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/fJFQ8gAASl
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) December 10, 2022