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Ian Wright has identified Adrien Rabiot as the potential weak link for England to target when they go up against France in the World Cup 2022 quarter-finals on December 10. This is the second consecutive quarter-final appearance for England after a fourth-place finish at World Cup 2018 in Russia. However, the Three Lions have a huge test in the form of the defending champions France, who have been able to sail through many of the games.

England reached the quarter-finals after a comfortable 3-0 win over Senegal on Sunday. It has set up a date with France, who head into the game after having overcome Poland with a 3-1 win. One of the key members of the French national team has been Kylian Mbappe, who is also the top scorer at the tournament with five goals for the Les Bleus. However, Rabiot has been coming up with a string of mediocre performances but he continues to hold the place in the starting line-up. Wright says that a player like Rabiot could switch off at a crucial moment to give England excellent opportunities in the final third.
After finishing the group matches with the loss against Tunisia, France came up with a very strong performance against Poland with Kylian Mbappe coming up with a brace. France have failed to keep a clean sheet in all WC 2022 Qatar matches so far. If the likes of John Henderson and Bellingham are likely to push forward, it could spell a lot of trouble for Rabiot, who looked less than assured in the recent win over Poland.
The French defence does not have a great deal of confidence coming into the game. The last clean sheet for France was in September against Austria in a UEFA Nations League match. This also happens to be the only clean sheet for the Les Bleus in the last 10 matches.
England’s Path to Quarters
Even though the result against Senegal appears very comfortable, England had several frustrating parts in the game. This was especially evident in the first half and things became a lot easier for the Three Lions only the second half. England were able to control the match after having taken the lead. Wright predicts a similar – if not tougher – experience against France and breaking the deadlock will be a crucial element for England in this quarter-final.
England midfielder Phil Foden has echoed the same sentiments of Wright by saying that the defending champions could pose a big threat for England. France are extremely strong in all areas of the pitch and they have been able to blitz past many opponents with ease at the 2022 World Cup. The top scorer, Kylian Mbappe, will be the player to watch in this encounter and keeping him quiet will be a major task for England defenders.
Gareth Southgate is likely to come up with a plan to keep Mbappe as quiet as possible. The PSG forward has already been able to hit five goals for the tournament. He was especially impressive in the win over Poland.
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