One of the heavyweight clashes of the FIFA World Cup 2022 will take place at the Al Bayt Stadium on Saturday as England take on defending champions France in the quarter-finals of the World Cup.
Two of the strongest teams in the tournament will be locking horns in a bid to earn themselves a World Cup semi-final berth. Both sides have a star-studded line-up and will be looking to go all-out in order to play an attacking game.
France are coming into the match after a comfortable 3-1 victory against Poland in their Round of 16 game with Olivier Giroud breaking Thierry Henry's all-time French goalscoring record with 52 goals so far. The standout performer for Les Bleus is the tournament's leading goalscorer Kylian Mbappe who single-handedly decided the game against Poland with two brilliant goals to take his tournament tally to 5.
The Three Lions, however, will be a tough nut to crack as they too have a well-balanced squad in the tournament. England are unbeaten in the World Cup so far and will be looking to repeat their Euro 2020 campaign heroics in the World Cup as well. They are coming into the match after a comfortable 3-0 victory against Senegal in their last 16 encounter. Meanwhile, England skipper Harry Kane is just one goal away from equaling Wayne Rooney's all-time goalscoring record for the Three Lions.
England team news
Apart from centreback Ben White not being available for selection, Gareth Southgate will have a full squad at his disposal with Raheem Sterling too returning to training and available for selection. He'll most likely start on the bench though after flying in to Qatar just a day before the game.
France team news
Didier Deschamps too will have a full squad at his disposal ahead of the quarter-final match. However, midfielder Tchouameni and defender Jules Kounde run the risk of missing the semi-final match if they get booked during the game.
England vs France head-to-head
England: 17 wins
France: 9 wins
Draws: 5
England vs France interesting facts
England have scored 12 goals in four games at this year's World Cup - the joint most at a single major tournament, level with their 2018 World Cup run when they reached the semi-finals.
France are the first reigning champions to reach the World Cup quarter-finals since Brazil in 2006. Italy, Spain and Germany suffered group stage exits in 2010, 2014 and 2018 respectively.
With 52 goals for England, Harry Kane is just one goal behind Wayne Rooney's all-time record.
FIFA World Cup 2022, Quarterfinals: England vs France live match time and telecast details
Date: December 11, 2022
Match time (IST): 12:30 AM
Live telecast: Sports 18 HD
Live streaming: Jio Cinemas