"I wasn't surprised" - William Gallas predicts winner of England vs France in FIFA World Cup quarterfinals
France legend William Gallas has predicted that Les Bleus will come out on top in their quarterfinal tussle with England at the FIFA World Cup.
The two sides do battle at the Al Bayt Stadium on Saturday, 10 December.
Both have been in fine form, with France beating Poland 3-1 in their last 16 encounter.
Meanwhile, England thrashed Senegal 3-0 in their last 16 fixture.
The Three Lions were impressive in their victory over the Senegalese; however, Gallas explained how he expected them to beat the African nation.
He told Genting Casino:
"I'm really confident about France v England. England played well and won 3-0 against Senegal but I wasn't surprised by that."
Gallas admits that Gareth Southgate's side are strong, but he is confident France will secure victory and advance to the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup:
"England has a strong team, but I'm very confident that France will win the quarter-final."
England v France!!! Who will win this game and why? https://t.co/hLSNhC9Hzn
The last time the two sides faced was in 2017, when the Three Lions traveled to Paris to face the French in an international friendly.
Didier Deschamps' side were the winners on that occasion, beating Southgate's men 3-2.
Three Lions skipper Harry Kane was on the scoresheet twice.
However, it was in vain as Samuel Umtiti, Djibril Sidibe, and Ousmane Dembele were on target for the French.
England and France injury update ahead of their FIFA World Cup quarter-final
There are fitness worries regarding Southgate's men.
Declan Rice is dealing with illness, and Callum Wilson is progressing in his rehabilitation indoors.
The duo both missed the Three Lions' training session in Al Wakrah three days before their quarter-final clash.
Rice has been integral to Southgate's midfield, playing in all four of his side's fixtures.
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"It's not England vs Mbappe, it's England vs France...I'm not going to roll out a red carpet for him!" 👀🍿
Kyle Walker when asked (a lot) about his potential battle with Kylian Mbappe 💪
https://t.co/WoAyCsLrs7
Meanwhile, French forward Kylian Mbappe was absent from training on 6 December.
However, he is expected to be back with the squad on the evening of 7 December.
This will relieve Les Bleus supporters as Mbappe is the top goalscorer with five goals in four appearances.
Deschamps already has a long list of injury issues to deal with, including the withdrawal of Karim Benzema and Presnel Kimpembe ahead of the tournament.
FIFA World Cup midfield-winning duo N'Golo Kante and Paul Pogba were both ruled out before the competition.
Lucas Hernandez picked up an ACL injury in the opening 4-1 defeat to Australia.
However, Deschamps' squad seems ready to go for their crunch tie with the Three Lions on Saturday.