Manchester City right-back Kyle Walker has been told that 'clever' Kylian Mbappe will get the better of him when England take on France on Saturday.
England and France will go head-to-head for a place in the World Cup semi-finals on Saturday evening, after they reached the quarter-finals with wins against Senegal and Poland respectively. Much of the talk since the meeting was confirmed has been about how England will cope with France and Paris Saint-Germain attacker Mbappe, who has scored five goals in four appearances in Qatar.
The popular solution has been Walker. The City full-back only made his long-awaited return from a groin injury in England's final group stage game - a 3-0 win against Wales - but many see his speed as England's only defence against Mbappe's rapid acceleration.
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That argument is one supported by BBC Sport's Gary Lineker, who argued that Walker should have been rested against Senegal in anticipation of a match-up against France.
Walker has kept Mbappe quiet in the past, notably in the 2020/21 Champions League semi-finals when City defeated PSG 4-2 over two legs. However, not everyone fancies Walker's chances against the 23-year-old, not least former France defender William Gallas.
"Kylian Mbappe is a clever boy and he's faced Kyle Walker before and I think he'll find the solution to win that battle," Gallas told Genting Casino.
"For the first 85 minutes, Kyle Walker could be on top in the battle but maybe in the last five minutes, Kylian can score the winner at any time and everyone will say he won the battle [against Walker]. As I said, Mbappe is a clever boy so I'm sure he'll find the solution to beat Kyle Walker."
Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, John Stones and Kalvin Phillips will also be hoping to feature against the 2018 world champions.
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