<p>England and France is the pick of the 2022 World Cup quarterfinals. The defending champions are looking to repeat the triumph of 2018. Meanwhile, England are hoping to complete its five-year journey.</p>



<p>Given the intense quality in both teams, fans are excited about the individual battles likely to take place between England and France.</p>



<p>For Gareth Southgate, he simply has to find a way to limit Kylian Mbappé’s effectiveness. The Paris Saint-Germain forward is the best player in the world at this moment. You can’t necessarily stop him in his current form. But, if you can isolate him and limit his work to wide areas, you give yourself a chance.</p>



<h2>Individual battles deciding England vs France</h2>



<h5>1. Kyle Walker vs Kylian Mbappé</h5>



<p>England don’t have a chance of reaching the semifinal if <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/mbappe-brace-guides-france-to-quarter-finals-past-poland-20221204-WST-411186.html">Mbappé</a> is allowed to dominate Saturday’s game.</p>



<p>He is the quickest player on the pitch and the most clinical finisher in the world. To stop that, you need your quickest defender.</p>



<p>Kyle Walker has been struggling for fitness of late. He missed the opening game against Iran. However, he did return later in the group stage.</p>



<p>At his best, Walker is physically imposing, athletic and an attacking threat. His defensive judgement can be questioned, but if positioned alongside confident central defenders, that can be accepted.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<div class="ck-twitter"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Kyle Walker when asked (a lot) about his potential battle with Kylian Mbappe:<br><br>"It&apos;s not England vs Mbappe, it&apos;s England vs France…I&apos;m not going to roll out a red carpet for him!" 👀🍿<a href="https://t.co/cU1wGnkcdB">pic.twitter.com/cU1wGnkcdB</a></p>— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) <a href="https://twitter.com/SkySportsPL/status/1600487472886063111?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 7, 2022</a></blockquote></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<p>Mbappé needs to be isolated. If he is able to run Walker ragged and cut inside at John Stones/Harry Maguire, England are in trouble.</p>



<p>Walker needs to use his pace to shackle the French forward and force <a href="https://twitter.com/frenchteam" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Les Bleus</a> to create from other areas.</p>



<h5>2. Jude Bellingham vs Adrien Rabiot </h5>



<p><a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/jude-bellingham-and-bukayo-saka-englands-world-cup-stars-20221124-WST-409625.html">Jude Bellingham</a> has been England’s standout performer in Qatar. His poise and balance in midfield are spectacular. What has made him even more valuable to Southgate is the balance he gives the midfield.</p>



<p>His complete arsenal allows Declan Rice and Jordan Henderson to focus on defensive duties. This will be needed against France.</p>



<p>Rabiot is the clear weak point in France’s midfield. Didier Deschamps likely does not feature the Juventus player if his <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/france-squad-isnt-as-deep-as-the-world-first-feared-20221203-WST-410911.html">squad is fully healthy</a>.</p>



<p>If England are to be able to dominate the French, it will come through Bellingham. He can make Rabiot’s life miserable on Saturday.</p>



<p>He doesn’t have the pace to keep up with him and all the Juventus midfielder has at his disposal is either fouling the Dortmund star or passing him onto Aurelien Tchouameni.</p>



<h5>3. Olivier Giroud vs Harry Maguire</h5>



<p>Kylian Mbappe loves playing with Olivier Giroud. He has lobbied PSG to try copy the French system and utilize a player in Giroud’s style.</p>



<p>France’s attacks depend a lot on the work Giroud does off the ball and at set-pieces.</p>



<p><a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/harry-maguire-poses-dilemma-for-southgate-and-england-20221108-WST-407222.html">Harry Maguire</a> has played well at the <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/category/world-cup-2022/">2022 World Cup</a>, despite losing his place at Manchester United.</p>



<p>The <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/nations/england-national-team-tv-schedule/">England</a> defender does not have top-notch pace. Yet, Giroud is not exactly an F1 car, either. The pair will engage in a physical battle on Saturday.</p>



<p>If Maguire can bully Giroud, outmuscle him and stop him holding the ball up and bringing Mbappe into play then France’s attack will have been blunted.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<div class="ck-twitter"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Congratulations to Olivier Giroud who is now France&apos;s all-time leading goalscorer. 52 goals! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FRA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FRA</a> <br><br>🎥 <a href="https://twitter.com/FOXSoccer?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FOXSoccer</a><a href="https://t.co/hribmS7Bng">pic.twitter.com/hribmS7Bng</a></p>— World Soccer Talk (@worldsoccertalk) <a href="https://twitter.com/worldsoccertalk/status/1599430334877118464?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 4, 2022</a></blockquote></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<p>Would it be worth Maguire taking up a man-marking role on Giroud and Rice slipping into a defensive position? Perhaps. Although it’s unlikely Southgate will introduce such a drastic tactical change.</p>



<p>Giroud is a finisher of the highest caliber. If he gets free in England’s penalty area then he will score. Maguire’s best asset is his close-quarters defending. He can be physical and stop attackers from finding space.</p>



<p>If Maguire can do that then it will make it all the more difficult for <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/nations/france-national-team-tv-schedule/">France</a> to reach the semi-finals.</p>



<p><em>PHOTO: IMAGO / Xinhua</em></p>



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<h3>Guide to World Cup 2022</h3>
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Here are some resources to help you get the most out of the biggest event in soccer!
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<a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/world-cup-tv-schedule/"><strong>TV Schedule:</strong></a> All the info on <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/world-cup-tv-schedule/">where and when to watch</a> every game
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<a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/2022/04/04/analysis-of-world-cup-groups/"><strong>The Groups:</strong></a> We <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/2022/04/04/analysis-of-world-cup-groups/">breakdown each group</a> and all the teams
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<a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/world-cup-jerseys-for-qatar-2022/"><strong>The Kits:</strong></a> Check out <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/world-cup-jerseys-for-qatar-2022/">what every team will be wearing</a> on the field this fall
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<a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/predictor/"><strong>Predictor:</strong></a> Play out every scenario with our <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/predictor/">World Cup Predictor</a>
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<a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/2022/04/05/world-cup-bracket-free-download/"><strong>World Cup Bracket:</strong></a> Map out the <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/2022/04/05/world-cup-bracket-free-download/">entire tournament</a>, from the groups to the final
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<a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/category/world-cup-2022/"><strong>World Cup Hub:</strong></a> Your one stop for <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/category/world-cup-2022/">everything Qatar 2022</a>
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3 individual battles that will decide England vs France

Ahead of the World Cup quarter-final between England and France, which three individual battles will decide the match?

3 individual battles that will decide England vs France - World Soccer Talk

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3 individual battles that will decide England vs France