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Former England striker Chris Sutton has predicted a narrow 2-1 victory for France in their 2022 FIFA World Cup quarter-final clash against the Three Lions in Al Khor, Qatar on Saturday (10 December).
England progressed to the last-eight stage of the tournament with an easy 3-0 win over Senegal on Sunday (4 December). Les Bleus, on the other hand, advanced after defeating Poland 3-1 on the same day.
So far, the Three Lions have met France twice at the FIFA World Cup, registering two comfortable group-stage wins in 1966 and 1982.
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In his column for BBC, Sutton shared his thoughts on the upcoming FIFA World Cup clash between the two European elites. He wrote:
"We will all have our ideas about who should start for England and what formation they should play, but Gareth Southgate has barely put a foot wrong so far in Qatar, and he will have a plan for this game too. He has got them in a position where the expectation is there again, but now it gets really serious."
Sharing his thoughts on the contest, Sutton added:
"They need to win three games to win the World Cup and they are facing some top-quality opposition, starting with France. Southgate's side will have plenty of defending to do. If they do stop Kylian Mbappe, they have got Ousmane Dembele to deal with on the other flank and Olivier Giroud up front as well."
Picking Les Bleus as the potential winner, Sutton concluded:
"But Mbappe, Dembele and Antoine Griezmann do not work hard when they are out of possession, so if England are brave they will get chances. I definitely think they can win this tie. However, before the tournament, France were my pick to win it and I feel I have to go with the holders, although it is going to be very close."
Two England stars miss training ahead of 2022 FIFA World Cup QF against France
As per Metro, Declan Rice and Callum Wilson missed England's training session on Wednesday (7 December) ahead of their 2022 FIFA World Cup quarter-final tie against defending champions France.
The Three Lions pair sat out their national team's training camp due to illness and a minor muscle strain, respectively. Raheem Sterling and Ben White were the other two absentees, as the pair have returned to the UK due to home robbery and personal reasons, respectively.
Rice, 23, has been an ever-present figure for his team at the ongoing quadrennial tournament, starting all four matches so far. Wilson, on the other hand, has laid out one assist in 47 minutes of action, spread across two substitute appearances for Gareth Southgate's side.
