Southgate: France 'our biggest test' | OneFootball

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·5 December 2022

Southgate: France 'our biggest test'

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England coach Gareth Southgate knows his side will need to bring their A-game when they take on Kylian Mbappé's France in the World Cup quarter-finals on Saturday night.

Les Bleus' spectacular 3-1 win over Poland set them up for a mouth-watering quarter-final clash with historic rivals England, and Three Lions coach Garth Southgate knows that his side face a huge challenge.

"This will be our biggest test," said the England boss. "They are the defending champions, the world champions, with an incredible amount of individual talent at their disposal. It will be an incredible match to prepare for, a real challenge."


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'A world-class player'

The Boy from Bondy hit a sensational double in the win over Poland - both trademark right-footed finishes, the second even more powerful than the first - and Southgate is obviously wary. But not to the point of overlooking the rest of the talent in Didier Deschamps' squad.

"As for Kylian Mbappé, he is a world-class player. He has already delivered top performances in other tournaments at this level," said Southgate. "But I think [Antoine] Griezmann has well over 100 caps [113] and he is also phenomenal. We know [former Arsenal and Chelsea player Olivier] Giroud very well. In the middle of the park, they have young players who are doing great things. If you study France closely, there is talent in every position. It's a huge challenge that we look forward to taking on." >> Mbappé: 'World Cup my only dream'

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