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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
Richard Fay & Liam Corless & Steven Railston

How England should line up vs France in World Cup fixture

England will face their biggest challenge at the World Cup yet when playing France in the quarter-finals on Saturday night.

The Three Lions won their group and comfortably defeated Senegal in the first knockout round of the tournament in Qatar, winning 3-0 thanks to goals from Jordan Henderson, Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka.

France represent the toughest opponents England will have faced in Qatar this winter and Gareth Southgate's side will reach a third consecutive semi-final in a major tournament should they win.

ALSO READ: Foden told he can be England star but Man City factor must be considered

Our writers have had their say on how England should line up...

Liam Corless

Kyle Walker is a right-back well-equipped to deal with Kylian Mbappe but the France forward has moved into a different stratosphere since the pair last met at club level in the Champions League a year ago. A good omen? Mbappe scored that night but ended up on the losing side.

Trent Alexander-Arnold won't be starting at the Al Bayt Stadium but his adventurous playing style could inadvertently help England to deal with Mbappe. Jordan Henderson is versed with operating in a right-sided central-midfield role for Liverpool, where he is required to provide defensive cover on that side of the pitch when Alexander-Arnold goes forward. How Henderson, Walker and John Stones cope with world's best player will go some way to deciding the outcome of this quarter-final.

Marcus Rashford was unlucky to be dropped against Wales and although Phil Foden did nothing to warrant being dropped, Rashford's pace and directness could cause problems for France's full-backs. Full-back is France's weak spot, with Jules Kounde a centre-back operating at right-back, and Theo Hernandez only starting at left-back because his brother, Lucas, ruptured his ACL during the group phase.

Rich Fay

There is a compelling argument for England to change formation, but it still makes sense for them to stick with the solid foundations that have already worked well for them in the tournament so far.

It should be the same defensive line that kept a clean sheet against Senegal and the same midfield too, with Henderson well worthy of his place alongside Rice and Bellingham.

Up front, there should be one change, with Sterling coming in for Foden in order to target the makeshift right-back Jules Kounde. Saka has had a fantastic tournament, and Kane is the only option through the middle.

Steven Railston

The 4-3-3 formation has got England to this stage of the tournament, of course, but Southgate has used five at the back to great effect throughout his tenure and it would be the best option against a talented France side.

Walker and Shaw are excellent full-backs and they should be able to provide defensive cover and value to attacking transitions. The pace of Saka and Foden on the counter-attack should cause problems and that seems the most likely gameplan here.

Bellingham and Rice are a dynamic midfield pairing and the latter performed well in this system at Euro 2020. Rashford represents an excellent option from the bench, especially in the latter stages against potentially tired French legs.

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