- France have won eight of their last ten games in all competitions and have scored 23 goals across that run.
- France have averaged 2.30 goals per game across their last ten in all competitions.
- Kylian Mbappe has scored four times in four appearances in the FIFA World Cup knockout stage and has accounted for four of France's nine goals across their last five games.
Heavyweight clash of heavyweight teams at Miami Stadium
France have won four and lost one of their five previous knockout fixtures at a FIFA World Cup, so Didier Deschamps' men have been in great form but by no means spotless. Deschamps has been France head coach since 8 July 2012 and his pragmatic, transition-heavy style is the ideal formula for knockout football. They'll look to sit compact and then burst through vertical passes and Mbappe's pace through the channels. Thomas Tuchel's England are a different story. The ex-Chelsea boss has been in charge since 1 January 2025 and has brought a structured 4-2-3-1 and more controlled positional play. But England can still counter in their own right and still possess some serious attacking threat of their own.
Intriguing tactical battle in store
The contrasting styles of these two behemoths should make for an intriguing tactical chess match, but one that could be laden with goals in Miami on Saturday. Over 2.5 goals looks worth backing at 1.76, while both teams to score, which is at 1.63, is a safer play as far as the game selection goes.
France are the pick to nick this game, however, at 2.38. England's last five in the knockout stage reads 4 wins and 1 defeat, so we're expecting a heavyweight scrap on Saturday.
Mbappe vs Bellingham - an explosive matchup
Jude Bellingham has four goals in his four appearances in the FIFA World Cup knockout stage and he's the man to watch for England, who will surely look to him when they run into trouble in the latter stages of the clash. Bellingham is the late runner who can put the ball in the net for the Three Lions.
But France also have a killer in their ranks and that's Kylian Mbappe, who has four in four in the knockout stage of this tournament, carrying the can for Les Bleus of late. If there is a crack for him to exploit, it could be all over in a flash.
Harry Kane has scored four in England's last five and the fact that he is on the same wavelength as his teammates is a big reason as to why the Three Lions have a puncher's chance of pulling off an upset, even in a tough tactical game. England will try to control through the pivot and Bellingham, but Anthony Gordon is a live wire on the right with three assists in England's last five, he's the kind of playmaker who can stretch France when they sit deep.
