France’s bid to become only the third side in World Cup history to defend the trophy really gets going today, as the Round of 16 continues in Qatar.
The defending champions from 2018 came into this tournament ravaged by injuries, but have so far impressed with their swagger to justify their place as one of the nations expected to make a deep knockout run. Now, though, the stakes are raised.
France appeared to be cruising through Group D after opening wins against Australia and Denmark, before a final-day 1-0 defeat to Tunisia suggested that perhaps there are weaknesses after all.
That was a much-changed side, though, with coach Didier Deschamps opting to rest his superstars like Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann for the tougher tests ahead.
Both are expected to be back against Poland, who will be looking to their own talisman, Robert Lewandowski, to be a difference-maker on Sunday.
He has the capacity to win games on his own, and he now finally has a goal at a World Cup after his strike against Saudi Arabia in the group stages.
Those two meet at the Al Thumama Stadium in the first game of the day, before England bid to progress to the last eight later against Senegal.
The Lions of Teranga were not given much chance at this tournament after Sadio Mane was ruled out just ahead of the finals getting underway through injury.
But others have stepped up; Kalidou Koulibaly just one of those to fill the void as his goal in the final Group B game against Ecuador sealed their last-16 spot.
England will be expected to win — and extend their impressive recent major tournament record that took them to the final of Euro 2020 18 months ago, and the semifinals of the last World Cup in Russia four years ago.
MORE: Round of 16 teams, fixtures and updated bracket
World Cup matches today
The Round of 16 continues today, with England and France both in action. Here’s how the day shapes up.
| Time (ET) | Match | Stadium |
|---|---|---|
| 10 a.m. | France vs Poland | Al Thumama |
| 2 p.m. | England vs Senegal | Al Bayt |
World Cup matches tomorrow
Here’s how Monday looks, when the Round of 16 continues in Qatar.
| Time (ET) | Match | Stadium |
|---|---|---|
| 10 a.m. | Japan vs Croatia | Al Janoub |
| 2 p.m. | Brazil vs South Korea | Stadium 974 |
MORE: Watch every World Cup match live with fuboTV (U.S.-only free trial)
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