"France have already won then" - England fans smell defeat as Southgate snubs 25-year-old while naming starting XI for FIFA World Cup QF
England fans are not pleased to see Marcus Rashford not named in the Three Lions' starting line-up to face France in the FIFA World Cup quarter-finals today (December 10).
Croatia, Argentina and Morocco have grabbed their place in the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup. England and France will now lock horns with each other for the final spot in the last four of the tournament.
The Three Lions go into the match high on confidence, having remained unbeaten in the competition so far. They have won three and drawn one of their four games on their way to the quarter-finals.
England will now be hopeful of qualifying for the semi-finals by beating defending champions France today. A win over Les Bleus would see them face Morocco for a place in the final of the FIFA World Cup.
With less than an hour to go until kick-off, the Three Lions have announced their starting line-up for the match. Gareth Southgate has notably made no changes to the team that beat Senegal 3-0 in the Round of 16.
Your #ThreeLions to face France! 🙌 https://t.co/hfuYqFG8bp
This means Rashford has been left on the bench again, with Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka and Phil Foden preferred in attack. The Manchester United attacker has been snubbed despite being his team's joint top-scorer with three goals to his name.
Southgate is confident that his preferred XI will get the job done against France today. However, many fans are not on board with his decision to leave Rashford out of the starting line-up. One supporter wrote on Twitter:
"No Rashford? France have already won then."
@TheEuropeanLad No rashford? France have already won then.
Here are some more reactions to Southgate's decision to snub Rashford:
@England @marksandspencer Rashford should be starting https://t.co/H37TeVpQBy
@England @marksandspencer What else does Rashford need to do to get a start?
@England @marksandspencer No Rashford 😭😭😭
@England @marksandspencer Why no rashford
@England @marksandspencer RASHFORD SHOULD OF STARTED OVER SAKA
@England @marksandspencer England should swap Rashford today for Saka. England have never won a match when they played with the same starting XI.
@TheEuropeanLad rashford over foden imo
@TheEuropeanLad No Rashford? England losing.
Rashford has only started one match for England at the 2022 FIFA World Cup so far. He found the back of the net twice that day, helping the side earn a 3-0 victory over neighbors Wales in the group stages.
How are France lining up against England in the FIFA World Cup?
Like Southgate, France head coach Didier Deschamps has made no changes to the team that beat Poland 3-1 in their Round of 16 clash. He will be positive that the same XI will get the job done against the Three Lions.
Tonight's line up 💪
France's all-time top goalscorer @_OlivierGiroud_ leads the line as les Bleus face the Three Lions!
LET'S GO 🔥
#ENGFRA | #FiersdetreBleus https://t.co/pquJXoo6Uf
Les Bleus booked their place in the Round of 16 of the 2022 FIFA World Cup as Group D winners. They then earned a comfortable win over Poland to qualify for the quarter-finals.
It now remains to be seen which of the two European giants will face Morocco in the semi-finals for a place in the final.