England will face France in a World Cup on Saturday for the first time since 1982, when they prevailed 3-1 in the first group stage. They hold the upper hand in this fixture, winning 17 times to Les Bleus’ nine, although 10 of those victories came before 1950. France have won five of the past eight encounters, England coming out on top once.
The match at Al Bayt Stadium offers a huge opportunity to improve that run: Didier Deschamps’s world champions are in free-scoring form but have been ravaged by injuries and are unbalanced in some areas. Here is a look at the factors that may decide their fate.
