Patrice Evra has backed France to knock England out of the World Cup in Qatar.
The Three Lions take on Didier Deschamps' side at the Al Bayt Stadium on Saturday night, with a place in the semi-finals up for grabs. Defending champions France are the favourites for the tie, which promises to be one of the biggest of the tournament so far.
Evra, who won 81 senior caps for France between 2004 and 2016, believes it will be a tight game between his country and England. The Manchester United legend thinks Kylian Mbappe, the leading scorer in the tournament with five goals, will be the difference.
"I can see the game being 2-1 to France," Evra told Betfair. "I can see us scoring the first goal, then England getting level. I can see this being another moment for Mbappe to do Mbappe things in the last 10 minutes. I don't see it going to extra time or penalties.
"If it does go to penalties, it's a risk for France. People know how much I love England, I think even some French people think I'll be supporting them, no, I will support France. But I will never forget my experience in England and it will be good banter.
"I will make a fun video if France beats England. At the end of the day, it's a big game and there's lots of banter. I really thank England for all those great years, but it's time for you guys to lose. I'll be eating snails and singing 'It's coming home' if we beat England."
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France, who defeated Croatia 4-2 in the World Cup final four years ago, have been in irresistible form in Qatar. They hammered Australia 4-1 in their tournament opener before recording convincing wins against Denmark and Poland.
France's only blemish was a 1-0 defeat to Tunisia in their final group game, yet Deschamps rested several players for that defeat. Mbappe, Olivier Giroud, Antoine Griezmann, Ousmane Dembele and captain Hugo Lloris were among those to drop to the bench.
France have impressed in Qatar, but so have England. The Three Lions are unbeaten in the tournament and have recorded big victories against Iran, Wales and Senegal. The United States are the only team that's managed to stop Gareth Southgate's side from scoring.
Several England players have been lauded for their performances at the World Cup. Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham has enhanced his reputation in Qatar, while forwards Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford have scored three goals each.
Although Evra thinks France will beat England, his former Man Utd team-mate Rio Ferdinand is backing the Three Lions to win the World Cup. "England played against the African champions [Senegal] by the way," Ferdinand told his Vibe with FIVE YouTube show.
"France beat Poland, who have been so poor in this tournament. England are the better team, 100 per cent. I think England are going to win the World Cup."
