England vs France: Preview, Odds and Betting Tips - 10/12/2022 (FIFA 2022 World Cup)

England and France, two of the most exciting teams in international football at the moment will be going head to head in a FIFA 2022 World Cup quarter-final clash that is worthy of being a final

The Three Lions will be hoping that Les Bleus do not cast a blue shadow on their pride when both teams meet on Saturday, 10 December at the 68,000-capacity Al Bayt Stadium. The match, which will only be their third meeting at the World Cup, will be a grudge match for France who have never been able to beat England in the tournament.

France are the better team based on form and rankings, but history has a way of skewing games like this in the favour of any team. France have lost 17 of their 31 meetings with England while they have only been able to win nine in that time. Four of those nine wins have come in this century, which also means that modern history is on the side of the defending champions.

Both teams were semi-finalists at the 2018 tournament and while France went on to win it, England lost to Belgium in the third-place playoff. France would go on to bag the 2021 UEFA Nations League while England would lose the UEFA European Championship to Italy on penalties that same year.

This recent history will be at the front of both Gareth Southgate’s and Didier Deschamps’ minds as they prepare their tactics to take on each other in an epic quarter-final clash.

For Southgate, it is possibly his make-or-break game and he will be even more desperate to achieve a result. But pride and bragging rights will be the major driving force for Deschamps, who is on the cusp of history if he can safely get past the den of the Three Lions unscathed.

Let us take a look at their form guides and what could happen when they slug it out at Al Bayt Stadium on December 10.

Form Guide: England

Prior to this game, Southgate would have been said to be clueless about how to manage the England side which possesses too much quality in all areas of the pitch. The Three Lions squad is capable of producing two starting XIs who could, on their own, play a good game against France.

Southgate seems to have found the solution to the lack of cohesion the team suffered from in recent memory and it was evident in their round of 16 game against African champions Senegal. The game ended 3 - 0 with the Three Lions running riot all game long against the toothless Teranga Lions who never looked like causing any upset in that match.

Their captain and talisman Harry Kane is also back among the goals, which will be a big boost for the team as they prepare to face France, whose talisman, Kylian Mbappe, is currently setting all of Qatar alight. If Kane happens to have a bad day in front of goal when both teams meet, Southgate can also count on the rest of the team to step up to the plate.

Form Guide: France

France at the 2022 World Cup is all about one man – Mbappe. It is pretty much the same as in 2018 when Mbappe announced himself to the world as a teenage sensation. Now 23 years old, his fire is burning even brighter and he is looking to replicate the magic of Pele when he won the World Cup back to back as a teenager and a young adult.

Deschamps can also count on a brilliant supporting cast of Olivier Giroud, who has become France’s all-time leading goalscorer thanks to his three goals at the tournament so far; Ousmane Dembele, who is their assist leader in the team for the tournament; and the very capable team captain Hugo Lloris, who is one of the top performing goalkeepers at the tournament.

The injuries to the squad, however, could prove detrimental if England manage to force the game into extra time. France, unlike England, do not have a strong bench that can hold their own as was seen in their match against Tunisia, the match used to rest their starting lineup for the challenges ahead.

What to expect from the match

Bettors can expect a thrilling match which would see both teams finding the back of the net. France are the favourite based on the goal-scoring form of Kylian Mbappe but England also have a good run of form going for them in front of goal. A double chance bet will be the safest in the instance.

Betting predictions

Both teams to score

England are the highest goal scorer of the tournament and also have the most diverse cast of goalscorers. France, on the other hand, have Kylian Mbappe, who on his own, can decide games. If they manage to stifle Mbappe, they have the aerial prowess and target-man abilities of Olivier Giroud to bank on.

The match will surely be a case of who outscores the other because both teams will concede. William Hill is offering 1.80 odds for this to happen.

Over 1.5 goals

Their recent forms in the tournament suggest that both teams could push each other for goals and one goal apiece would be underselling the game. William Hill is offering 1.36 odds for at least two goals to be scored.

Kylian Mbappe to score

This is the clearest bet of the whole tournament because Mbappe has scored in every game in which he has started. Seeing as he is sure to start against England, this would be a missed opportunity for bettors if this option is not among their bets.

All odds are via William Hill and all info is valid as of the time of writing. 

Odds could differ now.

Writer – Dex Easthaven