England and France are facing each other in the FIFA World Cup quarter-finals, and Kylian Mbappe is widely regarded as the potential game-changer.
However, fans have warned the Three Lions that the Paris Saint-Germain superstar isn’t the only player capable of causing serious havoc in the final third.
They took to Twitter to name Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele as the vital spark that could incinerate England’s hopes of reaching the semi-finals.
Dembele has been named in Les Bleus’ starting lineup, with manager Didier Deschamps opting to play him alongside Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann, and Olivier Giroud.
Here is a selection of tweets from the fans who hailed Dembele as a potential match-winner ahead of the FIFA World Cup clash:
The PSG forward has been a threat to opponents in the final third since the start of the FIFA World Cup. The 23-year-old has taken his impressive run of form for Paris Saint-Germain to Qatar, where he has already scored an impressive five goals, and given an assist. His brace against Poland notably guided Les Bleus into the quarter-finals.
Ousmane Dembele has not played a full game under Didier Deschamps’ leadership in the ongoing World Cup. While he has not been a sharpshooter like the PSG star, he has provided two assists in four appearances, with the second coming against Poland.
Both players will be looking to secure a slot for France to face Morocco in the semi-finals, which will mean beating England. Gareth Southgate’s men have been impressive so far in the World Cup, and Les Bleus will have to provide a top performance to get past them.
Former England international Ray Parlour has advised on how to deal with Kylian Mbappe threat ahead of FIFA World Cup clash
In an interview with Sports Lens, former Three Lions winger Ray Parlour has warned Gareth Southgate about the threat Kylian Mbappe poses. The Arsenal legend revealed that Kyle Walker would be the man to keep the blistering forward at bay, while asking Southgate to play four men in the backline:
“Does Gareth feel that France’s front four are going to be so dangerous that he needs to go to three at the back? Obviously we know about Mbappe’s pace and his finishing power. Kyle Walker is very experienced, so to be honest, I really hope he sticks with a four.”