Didier Deschamps was 13 years old and Gareth Southgate two years younger when France last met England in a World Cup match. That was in 1982 in a group game in Bilbao where Bryan Robson famously scored within 30 seconds, the fastest goal for a long time, in England’s 3-1 victory.

It’s surprising that these two traditional rivals haven’t played each other in a World Cup match since then despite the absences of one or the other from the 1990 and 1994 tournaments.

But now both teams have improved by leaps and bounds.

France, the reigning champion, have sailed through this tournament with a sort of airy inevitability: breezily scoring four after seeing their pride pricked by Australia, comfortably beating Denmark, losing to Tunisia with most key players missing, and then expertly packing off Poland in the Round of 16.

Such serene progress bodes well, particularly given that — by the time the group stage ended — France had lost so many players to injury that coach Deschamps had grown so weary of trying to replace them that he simply stopped. It seemed a risk at the time, but it turns out that the absence of Paul Pogba, N’Golo Kanté, Karim Benzema and the rest is but a minor inconvenience when you still have Kylian Mbappé.

That said, England will present a far stiffer challenge than anything the French have faced thus far. No team has scored more goals than Gareth Southgate’s side — like Portugal, it has mustered 12 in four games — and, in Jude Bellingham, England possess one of the breakout stars of the tournament. After reaching the semi-finals in 2018 and the European Championship final in 2021, England look like a team ready to take the next step.

Also, thanks to the English Premier League, their footballers play with and against each other regularly and so there is an element of familiarity among them. For example, the two national team captains, Hugo Lloris and Harry Kane, have been playing for Tottenham Hotspur for the last nine years, know each other’s strengths and weaknesses and are good friends.

“Yes, we spend a lot of time together. He is a great player and I have the highest respect for Harry. He is a world-class player. But tomorrow (Saturday) on the pitch we will have a go at each other,” Lloris said.

The Lloris versus Kane clash is one of the many subplots in the build-up to Saturday’s quarter-final. “He is the player who has the ability to make the difference,” Lloris added.

If the France captain is wary of the threat posed by the club skipper, England have to look out for Mbappe. With five goals under his belt, Mbappe, some days shy of 24, has taken the World Cup by storm. His speed, ability to dribble, and shooting power make him a complete package. Mbappe scored twice against Poland bettering Pele’s record for the most goals in the World Cup scored by a player aged under 24. The double took his Cup tally to nine.

“Oh, Kylian is fantastic. Even against Poland when he did not perform to his own level of expectations he scored two. He is a decisive player and very important in our scheme of things,” Deschamps said of his main man.

Mbappe versus Kyle Walker of Manchester City is another of the subplots in this race to the semi-finals. The duel could decide the fate of the match and as Deschamps put it: “One team will advance, the other team will go home.”

Walker has come up against Mbappe three times in the Champions League with Manchester City against Paris Saint-Germain, winning twice and losing once. Mbappe only managed to score one goal in those three games — and that was in a 2-1 loss in November 2021.

“I do understand what I need to do and that’s obviously to stop him,” the City right-back said the other day. Walker, who had had groin surgery and made the cut for Doha at the last moment, did not play the first two matches, against Iran and the US. He started from the Wales match onwards and till now has not looked in any sort of discomfort.

But France are not about just Mbappe. Ousmane Dembele on the right can be destructive, Olivier Giroud, who scored the first against Poland the other night, and of course Antoine Griezmann. “But we are not here to roll out the red carpet for them. We will fight till the end,” Walker promised.

A Photoshopped image of Mbappe being hoisted by Giroud that went around social media after the Poland match has a message for the rivals. And it says Mbappe is enjoying his time with Giroud. In the build-up to Euro 2020 last year, Giroud had said certain things which had been deemed as a swipe at Mbappe. The divided atmosphere plagued the camp throughout the tournament and affected a previously close-knit group.

“Kylian is playing with a smile and that’s great news for us. He is focused on his objective, individually as well as collectively,” Lloris said.

France seem to be wary of England’s strength at set-pieces and Lloris is being seen as the weakest link in the France set-up when it comes to dealing with dead-ball situations. “Yes they are very strong in set-pieces but me being the soft target is the narrative British media are trying to set. You will get the answer on the pitch,” Lloris said with a smile.

England VS France

HEAD TO HEAD ⚫ Mts 31 ⚫ England 17 ⚫ France 9 ⚫ Drawn 5

Talking tactics

England: Gareth Southgate has gone out of his comfort zone at this World Cup by deploying a 4-3-3 formation. As a result, an exuberant England have mostly played attacking, penetrative football in Qatar. With a squad that is rich in talent, England have the force that can ambush champions France. The fact that eight England players have found the net in four matches so far underlines the variety in Southgate’s options. Jules Kounde appears to be a bit wobbly in France’s right-back and England will hope Luke Shaw, who has been quite impressive with his forward runs, can exploit that. Jude Bellingham’s work rate will once again be the key, as will be Harry Kane’s leadership in front of the rival goal.

France: Despite a Kylian Mbappe whizzing past defenders and records as if no one can catch him, it’s a fact that Didier Deschamps’ plans have been hurt badly with multiple injuries to key players. It’s on the back of sheer quality that his fit players have that France have so far mastered all odds. Deschamps deploys a 4-2-3-1 system with Adrien Rabiot and Aurelien Tchouameni playing pillars in the midfield. While Antoine Griezmann acts as the string to France’s bow, the threat usually comes from the flanks, with Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele excelling in their job. But though all eyes will be on Mbappe, it is actually Olivier Giroud who can sting England unwatched. Also, Mbappe versus Kyle Walker will be an intense battle.

Jude Bellingham. File photo

Short passes

⚫ England have won three of their four matches at this World Cup. The only time they won more at a single edition of the tournament was in 1966, when they went on to win the title.

⚫ In their last eight meetings across all competitions, France have lost only once.

⚫ France are unbeaten in the 13 games (10 wins) in which Kylian Mbappé has started in the World Cup and European Championships.

⚫ Southgate aims to become the first England manager to guide the nation to two World Cup semi-finals, having reached the last four in 2018.