With just a day to go before the clash between the best of enemies, when England take on holders France in a World Cup quarter-final, the pre-match tension has reached fever pitch.
Predictions are flying over who will secure their place in the semi-finals, with bookmakers having the French as narrow favourites to win the tie at Qatar’s Al Bayt Stadium, the first time the nations have met in the tournament in 30 years.
The opinion of much of the footballing world is that France will have too much firepower, with their in-form strike force of Kylian Mbappe (five) and Olivier Giroud (three) having notched up eight goals already.
Coupled with their squad’s strength in depth – this was a team that didn’t even bring the full complement of 26 players to the tournament, happy with just 25 – and the serene way they upped the tempo to dispatch a useful Poland 3-1 in the previous round, it looks entirely possible that Didier Deschamp’s team will rack up a second consecutive trophy.
Don’t despair, though! Beyond the obvious attractions of this England team which has racked up 12 goals in four games, shared between a remarkable eight players, and – some wobbles aside – has a defensive fortitude reflected in only having conceded one goal from open play, we’ve found some historical parallels to suggest that Gareth and the boys could shade Saturday night’s game.
World Cup whitewash
The two teams have only met twice before in World Cup finals, and Les Bleus were twice on the receiving end of chastening defeats.
In June 1982, a group stage encounter in Bilboa saw England win 3-1, kickstarted by a Bryan Robson goal after just 30 seconds.
Their previous meeting took place at the 1966 tournament in England, when the home side polished off the French 2-0 in the first round, courtesy of a brace of strikes from Roger Hunt. Not to tempt fate, but we all know what that team ended up winning…
History is on England’s side
It’s not just in World Cups that England hold the upper hand.
Since their first meeting in Paris almost 100 years ago, when the English won 4-1 at the Stade General John Joseph Pershing in May 1923, the Three Lions have a far superior overall record of 17 wins to nine, with just five draws. (Sadly, in the seven games this millennium the French have won four to England’s one…)
Gareth 1 Didier 0
OK, we’re clutching at straws a little here, but the only time that Gareth Southgate took on Didier Deschamps as an international player was in Le Tournoi in 1997.
An Alan Shearer goal saw England win 1-0 in Montpellier, before they went on to win the tournament – itself an amuse-bouche to the 1998 World Cup in France, where Deschamps was captain of the team that lifted the trophy.
