France vs England Prediction, Odds, and Picks: Three Lions End French's World Cup Title Defense

Saturday’s late World Cup game is the finale of the quarterfinals, with England vs. France facing off. It’s set up to be a classic, with a young and exciting England team opposing the defending champions, France, and of course, their main man, Kylian Mbappe.

Will the champs get another step closer to back-to-back glory, or is there a World Cup odds upset on the cards? Check out our England vs. France World Cup picks and predictions to find out.

France vs England odds

France vs England picks and predictions

This is going to be a close game with France slight favorites at +150 and England at +210. In my view, these are the best two teams left in the competition and the winner of this game has a very good chance of winning the World Cup.

England’s 4-3-3 has largely been a success at the tournament so far, although they haven’t yet faced a team of the caliber of France, who’ll line up with their usual 4-2-3-1. 

The midfield battle will be key here, if Southgate sticks with Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice, and Jordan Henderson they can compete with Aurelien Tchouameni and Adrien Rabiot, as well as Antoine Griezmann dropping deep. 

France are rightly the favorite coming into this as the reigning champions but there’s something about this English team that leads me to be confident they’ll win the game. 

They are a cohesive unit, with a great fighting spirit, who should be able to cause France problems. I don’t know if they’ll be able to win within 90 minutes but they will qualify for the semifinals. Backing England to qualify at +118 is the way to go, ensuring you’re still a winner if they steal a goal in extra time or win a penalty shootout.

My best bet: England to qualify (+118 at BetRivers)

France vs England side analysis

Much of the press this week has been around how England will try and stop the threat of Mbappe. There have been discussions about Gareth Southgate sending his team out with five at the back but that will create big spaces where the wingback would be, or need that wingback to stay back and therefore nullify their attacking threat. 

Instead, we’re expecting England to stick with four at the back, with Man City’s Kyle Walker tasked with stopping Mbappe.

The French back four of Jules Kounde, Raphael Varane, Dayot Upamecano, and Theo Hernandez is strong but Kounde doesn’t do his best work at right back and that’s a potential weakness that the left side of England’s attack — most likely Phil Foden — can exploit.

One of the key players will be Jude Bellingham. He was electric against Senegal and showcased why he’s one of the most coveted players in the world. He is strong defensively but crucially can link up play and drive the team forward. If he is given room by France to excel, then England have a huge chance of winning this encounter.

France vs England Over/Under analysis

The bookies are leaning toward the Under here and on the face of it you’d have to imagine that’s the case. It’s hard to see this game finishing with more than three goals but the chance of a 2-1 is very real, and therefore I’d be a little concerned about betting on the total.

Both teams have been quite strong defensively in the tournament so far but with the sheer number of attacking players both starting, and on the bench, there is a chance we see goals. For that reason, I’d personally avoid betting on this market, even though I do slightly lean towards backing the Under.

France vs England game info

France vs England key injuries

France: Lucas Hernandez LB (Out).
England: Raheem Sterling AM (Questionable), Ben White CB (Out).

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