19:00 Saturday

Kylian Mbappe to Score Anytime

As the favourite for both the Golden Boot and Golden Ball, Kylian Mbappe is, of course, the main threat to England’s chances of reaching the semi-finals.

France have an abundance of quality in their side in all areas of the pitch, but the rapid PSG forward is the one on everyone’s lips. He is currently leading the goalscoring charts with five goals, two clear of the nearest competitors prior to the quarter finals.

There has been a lot of talk over Kyle Walker and Mbappe and their on field battle, with the Manchester City full back coming back from the injury he sustained in October. Mbappe has also taken penalties for the national team, with a 75% success rate from the spot for France, with the one miss in their defeat to Switzerland in Euro 2020.

England have been excellent at the back, keeping the highest amount of clean sheets in the tournament, only conceding two goals against Iran in their opening game. However, France are a massive test for the Three Lions and Mbappe is the likeliest to get on the scoresheet.

Over 1.5 Goals

Our second leg of the England vs France Bet Builder is over 1.5 goals. Les Blues have scored nine goals so far in the tournament, a figure only bettered by Portugal and England (both have 12).

We think it will be a cagey affair, with both sides appreciative of the quality in the other team. Indeed, both sides will be nervous on Saturday evening, as this is a real test of their respective hopes of winning the tournament.

The reigning World Cup champions suffered an early Round of 16 exit by at Euro 2020, whereas England reached the final but lost to Italy, meaning the search for a second major tournament victory after the 1966 World Cup goes on.

Over 1.5 goals have scored on the last two occasions England and France locked horns in a major tournament. France beat England 2-1 late on in Euro 2004 and then again eight years later at Euro 2012, where it finished 1-1. The most recent fixture between the two sides was France’s 3-2 friendly win over England in June 2017, another match to finish with over 1.5 goals.

However, in what will be an intense game between these two European rivals – and given we expect both teams to score - over 1.5 goals looks like the right angle.

Kyle Walker to be booked

Having played the full game against Senegal as England kept a clean sheet in their 3-0 win, a completely different task lies in store for Kyle Walker, who looks set to go toe to toe with Mbappe.

Walker has fared somewhat okay against Wales and Senegal, but he could be a pivotal part of Gareth Southgate’s masterplan ahead of their match against France according to Sam McGuire.

While no England player has picked up a yellow card yet, we could see Mbappe being the target of some rough tackles and challenges to nullify the focal point of their attack and give England the best chance of reaching the Semi Finals.

Walker has just come back into the England side following his injury against Manchester United in the Premier League in early October. We could see an interesting encounter, especially as Walker has spoken before the game, stating he is “not going to roll out a red carpet for him to score”.

The two have met previously at both international and club level, so we could see a key battle unfold. With this in mind, we think Walker will pick up a card in his attempts to stop the Frenchman.