England face France on Saturday night in what could be a scintillating World Cup quarter-final.
With a place in the last four on offer, Gareth Southgate’s men have been tasked with beating the reigning world champions to continue in the tournament.
Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the main talking points ahead of the clash in Al Khor.
Claiming a major scalp
There has been no doubt that Southgate has altered England’s performances in the knockout stages of his three major tournaments since taking the role, with the 3-0 victory over Senegal in the last 16 the sixth knockout win under his tenure. That is the same number as they had managed in the previous 48 years – but Southgate has yet to steer England to victory against an established top-drawer nation, and beating the World Cup holders would certainly end that streak.
Al Bayt for good
England played all but one game at Wembley in the run to their penalty defeat in the final of Euro 2020 last summer. If there is a sense of the national team enjoying home comforts – even as far away as Qatar – then playing once again at the state of the art, Bedouin tent-inspired Al Bayt Stadium to the north of Doha could help. Their goalless group-stage draw with the United States took place there, as did the Senegal win and – if they see off France – England will return for a semi-final against either Portugal or Morocco.
A view to a Kyl
Almost all of the talk in the build-up to a blockbuster quarter-final has centred on Kylian Mbappe and how England go about stopping the Paris St Germain forward. The 23-year-old leads the Golden Boot race having already netted five times in Qatar, although France coach Didier Deschamps said there is even more to come after his brace in the last-16 victory over Poland. Kyle Walker is likely to be tasked with keeping Mbappe quiet – and the Manchester City full-back does have form, having played well in previous battles when their sides met in the Champions League.
Shape shifting?
Southgate has previously favoured a three-man central defence in tournament football but has stuck to a back four so far in Qatar. Whether he looks to change back to a more defensive formation, likely adding Walker alongside Harry Maguire and John Stones and playing wing-backs who can also help repel the France attacks, remains to be seen. In the past, that system has seen Southgate criticised for being too negative but it could be the way to see off the world champions on Saturday.
Sterling’s involvement
Southgate has cast doubt on whether Raheem Sterling will play a part in the game. The 28-year-old did not feature against Senegal due to concerns over his family’s wellbeing following an incident at his home in Surrey. Sterling flew back to the UK to deal with the matter but returned to Qatar to train with his team-mates on Friday – although Southgate stressed missing sessions and flying there and back was “not good preparation for a game of this standard”.
