England manager Gareth Southgate believes that France will be their biggest threat when they take them on in the World Cup quarter-final. As Didier Deschamps’ team stood in the way of a semifinal berth after they defeated Poland 3-1 earlier in the day, England defeated Senegal 3-0 in the last 16 on Sunday to advance to the last eight for the second consecutive World Cup. The manager lost his sole match against Les Bleus, a 3-2 loss in June 2017, and Southgate’s team has only defeated France once in seven encounters since the turn of the century.
“It’s the largest test we may encounter with regard to France,” England manager Gareth Southgate said about France. “They are global champions with a vast array of talent and exceptional players. It’s a great challenge and a great game to get ready for because they’re really difficult to play against and score goals against. Historic rivalries will be played in the current two quarterfinals. It’s a terrific game to play and a great way to compete against the best.”
Kylian Mbappe, who has the most goals at the World Cup with five through four games, scored twice as France easily defeated Poland. Mbappe, who is only 23 years old, also scored in the 2018 championship game, which France won over Croatia.
“Mbappe is a player of the highest caliber and has already produced significant moments in this tournament and others,” he added. “I believe [Antoine] Griezmann is a terrific player and has already played for France in more than 70 straight matches. Olivier Giroud is someone we are quite familiar with, and they have some exceptional young midfielders. When examining France, you can see that they have a tremendous depth of quality at every position at every age level.”
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