DOHA – France will start their World Cup last-16 clash as overwhelming favourites on Sunday but opponents Poland is well equipped to derail Les Bleus’ title defence at the Al-Thumama stadium.
France qualified for the knockout phase with a game to spare after two stylish performances against Australia and Denmark, and was quick to move on from a 1-0 defeat by Tunisia in the last Group D match after playing with a reserve side.
Poland went through despite a 2-0 loss to Argentina in their last Group C game, carried through the opening phase by their sturdy defence and the touch of striker Robert Lewandowski.
France will enter the contest with most of their top players having recharged their batteries, but patience, more than energy, might be key against Poland.
“They have experienced players. Obviously Lewandowski is the stand-out player, one of the best strikers in the world,” said coach Didier Deschamps according to Reuters. “We should not under estimate them.”
Forward Kingsley Coman was equally cautious. “It’s a World Cup game, anything is possible. Being the favourites doesn’t mean anything.”
France often struggle against compact sides that defend deep, such as Poland, but Deschamps has the tools at his disposal to crack a game wide open.
While Kylian Mbappe, who is chasing records in Qatar after already scoring seven World Cup before the age of 24, might find it hard to use his devastating pace against a packed defence Ousmane Dembele could be France’s main threat.
The forward’s relentless dribbling, jinking one way before bursting past the other, could prove tough to handle for the Poles, who will also need to keep a close eye on Olivier Giroud in the box.
The 36-year-old target man will become France’s all-time top scorer if he finds the back of the net for his 52nd international goal and move one ahead of Thierry Henry.
Mbappe will also threaten, especially in combination with attack-minded left back Theo Hernandez.
The French defence has been far from perfect so far, with Raphale Varane looking below his best after a hamstring injury, and the Manchester United player will need to find top form as a mouthwatering duel with Robert Lewandowski looms.
“The best way to defend against him is to make sure he does not get the ball,” his former team mate at Bayern Munich Coman said.
The winner of Sunday’s match will face either England or Senegal in the quarter-finals.
England big favourites to end Senegal run
The prospect of Harry Kane not scoring in any of England’s group games at the World Cup might have left fans fearing the worst but instead there is a growing sense of optimism as Gareth Southgate’s side eye Sunday’s last-16 clash with Senegal.
Kane, whose 51 goals for his country puts him only two behind record holder Wayne Rooney, has yet to fully hit his straps in Qatar, barely having a shot on target.
A foot knock sustained in the opening win against Iran has not helped the England skipper, who top-scored in the 2018 World Cup with six, but his lack of goals has certainly not impeded England’s smooth progress to the knockout rounds.
In fact, Kane’s failure to hit the net can be flipped to a positive.
England has still managed to score a tournament co-leading nine goals with their other forwards stepping up to the mark, none more so than Manchester United’s rejuvenated Marcus Rashford with three goals already.
Phil Foden, Raheem Sterling and Bukayo Saka have also been among the goals, leaving Southgate a pleasant selection dilemma ahead of Senegal, although it is inconceivable he would not start with Kane in his forward three.
Senegal was crowned African champions earlier this year and although they arrived in Qatar without their injured talisman Sadio Mane, the ‘Lions of Teranga’ are a powerful side packed with experience and devoted to coach Aliou Cisse.
England has faced African opposition seven times at the World Cup without losing, although there have been some scares along the way, notably in 1990 when they trailed to Cameroon late on in the quarter-finals before winning 3-2.
Former England manager Glenn Hoddle says Southgate’s team will have too much quality for a Senegal side that opened the tournament with defeat by the Netherlands but bounced back to beat Qatar and Ecuador to reach the last 16.
“I don’t think Senegal have come under the real convincing pressure that England will put them under,” Hoddle said of England’s first-ever clash with Senegal.
African nations have lost eight of their nine World Cup knockout round games against European sides, although the one success came in 2002 when a Senegal side captained by Cisse beat Sweden to reach the quarter-finals.
Senegal burst into that tournament by defeating reigning champions France and the dreadlocked Cisse will no doubt be using the heroics of 20 years ago to inspire his team for their date with England.
If they are to produce another shock in a tournament that has already seen its fair share, Senegal will not only have to do it without Mane but also Idrissa Gueye, who is suspended having picked up a second yellow card against Ecuador.
While England will be expected to reach the quarter-finals, and a possible clash with France, Southgate knows that any World Cup journey has bumps in the road and Senegal will be treated with the utmost respect.
“Senegal will be tough,” he said. “They’re very well organised, they’ve got a lot of good individual players playing in big European leagues and their expectations now will rise.”
Sunday Dec. 4 fixtures
France vs Poland at 5 pm CLT
England vs Senegal at 9 pm CLT
Discussion about this post