England’s Run of Form
England had good form going into the World Cup. The team was drawn into a group with Iran, the US, and Wales, and they were the strong favourite to win the group. England played against Iran in the first game, which they won 6-2. It was a comfortable result for the team and for the manager, Gareth Southgate. In the second game, the English team faced the US. Though the game received a lot of attention from the fans of both teams and the media, the two teams played out a 0-0 draw. In their final game, England played against Wales. In this match, Southgate decided to slightly alter the line-ups and he was rewarded for his efforts as England won the game 3-0.
As England won Group B, the team had to face the runners up of Group A. England played against Senegal, which was the first time the two teams met. Though Senegal was missing their key player, Sadio Mane, through injury, the Senegalese team was not to be underestimated. The team featured Edouard Mendy in goal, the fearsome Kalidou Koulibaly in defence, and a handful of striking options including Ismaila Sarr, Boulaye Dia, Krepin Diatta, and Iliman Ndiaye. England took the lead after Henderson scored in the 38th minute. Harry Kane scored his first goal of the World Cup before the first half finished, and England was up 2-0. In the second half, Bukayo Saka added to his World Cup goal tally with a third goal in the match. The match finish 3-0, and England secured its place in the quarter finals.
France’s Run of Form
The reigning World Cup champions were drawn into a group with Australia, Denmark, and Tunisia. France was always the favourite to win the group, but there were some doubts about the team following some injuries. N'Golo Kante and Paul Pogba both missed out on the current World Cup because of injuries, and many critics thought that France would not be able to continue without their two critical midfielders. The team played against Australia in their first game, and after going 1-0 behind in the first 9 minutes, the critics may have been proven right. Fortunately for France, the team scored 4 goals to end the match 4-1 and win their first group game in the 2022 World Cup. In the following game, France played against Denmark. The Danes were France's biggest opponents on paper, and they beat them 2-1 with a brilliant performance from the young French striker, Kylian Mbappe. In France's final group stage game, they faced Tunisia. France had already qualified for the round of 16. They lost the game 1-0, though France had a late goal that was disallowed.
In the round of 16, France played against Poland. France made short work of Poland, scoring 3 goals to Poland's 1. Though the result suggested it was an easy game for France, it was certainly not that. Poland registered 12 shots against France, compared with France's 16 shots against Poland. The possession was also fairly even, but France still managed to win the game 3-1 and qualify for the quarter finals.
Which Players to Look Out For
England
So far, Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford have scored the most goals for England. What makes this even more surprising is that the two of them play in the same position for England. Both players are in good form, and either have shown that whether they start or come on as substitutes, they can definitely drive England’s attack. Phil Foden has also been a key player for England, despite only starting in 1 game. Harry Kane scored his first goal against Senegal, and the striker will definitely want to add to his tally in the game against France. Other players who deserve mentions are Jordan Henderson, Declan Rice, Luke Shaw, and Harry Maguire, all of whom have added to England’s defence and attack in the games they have played in.
France
France has so many talented players that the team can afford to go to a World Cup and leave Paul Pogba, N’Golo Kante, Anthony Martial, Allan Saint-Maximin, and Wissam Ben Yedder, all behind. Kylian Mbappe has been the stand out star, and he is currently the top goal scorer in the competition with 5 goals. Olivier Giroud, who plays as a central striker and has received criticism from the press, has scored his 52nd goal for France, becoming the all-time top goal scorer. There are many other French players who have shone in this World Cup, such as Adrien Rabot, Ousmane Dembele, Antoine Griezmann, Theo Hernandez, and so on. It seems as though Didier Deschamps, the manager of France who guided them to the 2018 World Cup title, has not lost any momentum from the previous tournament. Apart from the shock 1-0 loss to Tunisia, the French team seem unstoppable, and they may become the third team to win back-to-back World Cup titles.
England vs France Betting Opportunities
Of all four quarter finals matches, England vs France may be the most difficult to predict. Both teams have squad depth and they topped their groups, showing some signs of weakness but also ruthlessness against their opposition. France is slightly favoured to win the fixture, but the odds on either team will be long. This can be a great opportunity for punters who want to bet on either team to win, or even to qualify, as it is a very evenly-matched fixture.
If betting on a match winner is a bit daunting, you can always use double chance or tie no bet, which will cover more ground and give you a better chance of winning your bet. Of course, you can always bet on a team to win with a handicap, bet on the winning margin, correct score, or pick other markets which can bring you longer odds.
With so many star players in both teams, it may be worthwhile checking out the player markets. Here, there will be bets on which players will score during a game, which player will score the opening goal, which player will score the last goal of the game, and more. There will be bets on all the top players such as Kylian Mbappe, Olivier Giroud, Antoine Griezmann, Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka, Phil Foden, Marcus Rashford, and so on.