Kick-off: 1900, 10/12/2022
Stadium: Al Bayt Stadium
TV: ITV
England and France were both ultra-impressive in reaching the World Cup quarter-finals and now meet in a mouth-watering match-up.
Each side has really caught the eye going forward, but we just feel Les Bleus have looked a touch more vulnerable at the back.
The Three Lions are slight underdogs to qualify for the semis at 11/10 and that is rated a value bet in our first England vs France prediction.
England Odds
Gareth Southgate urged his defence to tighten up after an opening 6-2 triumph over Iran and they have since kept three straight clean sheets.
Following a goalless stalemate with USA, Wales were brushed aside 3-0 and it was the same scoreline in a one-sided defeat of Senegal.
Admittedly, the Lions of Teranga were missing star man Sadio Mane, but the African champions were coming off wins over Qatar and Ecuador.
That made the manner in which the Three Lions cruised through all the more noteworthy.
The icing on the cake was Russia 2018 Golden Boot hero Harry Kane getting off the mark in Qatar in between Jordan Henderson and Bukayo Saka strikes.
Kane told ITV: “I think we’ve showed great maturity through the tournament and 3-0 against a really good side, credit to the boys.
“The mentality was top from the beginning and we took our chances when they came.
“We feel good, we’ve got good runners, good players getting forward, and it’s solid at the back; three clean sheets in a row is really important. A really good day for us.”
Phil Foden is blossoming in a free role, Harry Maguire and John Stones have a great understanding at the back, Declan Rice does his holding job well and Jude Bellingham looks a monster in midfield.
Foden said of the 19-year-old: “I don’t want to big him up too much because he’s still young, but he’s one of the most gifted players I’ve ever seen.
“I don’t see a weakness in his game, I think he has everything, and I’m sure he is going to be the best midfielder in the world.”
Keeping Les Bleus and their awesome attack at bay will be tough, but a bwin price boost of 21/4 for the Three Lions to win and both teams to score is also tempting from the England vs France odds.
France Odds
Of course, there is no way holders France can be taken lightly and they appear determined to become the first back-to-back World Cup winners for 60 years.
After beating Australia 4-1 and Denmark 2-1, Les Bleus finished the group stage on a low note when a much-changed line-up lost 1-0 to Tunisia.
However, the big guns were back firing for a 3-1 victory versus Poland, who only grabbed an injury-time consolation from the penalty spot.
Olivier Giroud kicked things off by breaking Thierry Henry’s France record by bagging a 52nd international goal.
Kylian Mbappe is threatening to take this tournament by storm and he followed up with two fine strikes.
Head coach Didier Deschamps is notoriously hard to please, but beamed: “France needed a great Kylian Mbappe tonight and they got one.
“Kylian can change a match in just a moment and he is always playing with such joy and we all want to share those smiles with him.”
Bwin are offering a price boost of 11/2 for Mbappe and Kane to both have at least two shots on target!
But if there is one right-back who might be able to match Mbappe for speed and limit the damage he can inflict, it is England’s Kyle Walker.
France are missing Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kante in midfield and their rearguard has kept just one clean sheet in nine matches, so they are not quite the total package of four years ago.
Let’s add 10/1 for the Three Lions to shade a fascinating clash 2-1 to our England vs France betting tips.
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