The World Cup quarter-finals conclude with a heavyweight clash between old rivals England and France squaring off against each other at the Al Bayt Stadium on Saturday night in Al Khor.Although the two teams first squared off in 1923, this is just their third meeting at a World Cup and the first since 1982 where England won both of those meetings by a two-goal margin. But with just one win across the last eight H2Hs (D2 L5), it seems a stern challenge awaits Gareth Southgate’s side.2️⃣4️⃣ hours.#ThreeLions | @NuffieldHealth pic.twitter.com/sLv6VW0Zr3— England (@England) December 9, 2022 The Three Lions overcame an uncertain start against Senegal to win 3-0 in the last-16, with Harry Kane’s first goal of the tournament and the performance of Jude Bellingham particular highlights.It marked England’s third consecutive clean sheet (W2, D1), prompting similarities to be drawn with last year’s run to the European Championship final, which was underpinned by defensive solidity.Great to have you back, @sterling7! 👊 pic.twitter.com/4a95bNMVzG— England (@England) December 9, 2022 The emergence of Bellingham and the performances of Phil Foden and Bukayo Saka have pushed England on from last summer’s tournament and ahead of the quarter-finals, no team has managed to better England’s 12 goals scored in this World Cup.However, manager Southgate knows that those goals mean nothing yet as he insists England must find their “highest possible level” for this clash.##NAJAVA_MECA_6877797##”There have been some defeats that hurt that prepare you for nights like Saturday, where you have to be the very best version of yourself. In terms of our experiences, those big matches are important reference points for the team. We are ready to fight France for that place in the semi-finals,” Southgate said.France booked their last-eight spot thanks to a 3-1 win over Poland, with starman Kylian Mbappé bagging a brilliant brace to extend his lead in the Golden Boot standings.Flying Morocco carry continental hopes in nail-biting quarterfinal clash against PortugalA 1-0 group-stage defeat to Tunisia showed the reigning World champions are fallible though, particularly if they suffer any more injuries.Manager Didier Deschamps will be hoping whoever he has available will do the business here as they bid to make it six World Cup knockout wins in a row, after confirming that his players are still “hungry” to prolong their stay in Qatar.👀 All eyes on the 𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫-𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 ⚔️#FiersdetreBleus pic.twitter.com/i8GG2UmoQi— French Team ⭐⭐ (@FrenchTeam) December 9, 2022 Having failed to Italy in the final of the Euro 2020, can England move a step closer to finally bringing it home?The match kicks off at 2200EAT.Saturday 18.00: (6.00) Morocco (3.60) Portugal (1.70)22.00: (3.15) England (3.20) France (2.50)***odds are subject to change
