Declan Rice is confident England can defeat France when the Three Lions take on the defending FIFA World Cup holders on Saturday evening.
Following a 3-0 win over Senegal in the round of 16 last weekend, Gareth Southgate’s men will look to secure a semi-final spot at Al Bayt Stadium in Qatar.
The Hammers skipper has been a crucial part of a dynamic midfield that has helped England register their best-ever goal return at a World Cup with 12, and also secure three clean sheets in their four matches.
The Group B winners now take on France, who have Rice's fellow Hammer Alphonse Areola in their ranks. And such is the quality in Didier Deschamps' squad, Rice is under no illusion as to the test England face in the last-eight.
“France are the current holders of the competition,” Rice stated, “they are missing some key players (Paul Pogba, Lucas Hernandez, Karim Benzema and N'Golo Kante), but they have looked really strong [in] this tournament.
“These are the games you want to play in, and what an achievement and feeling it would be to knock them out.”
Rice described England's round of 16 win over Senegal as a 'masterclass', pointing to Jordan Pickford's early saves before goals from Jordan Henderson, Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka settled the game in the Three Lions' favour.
“There was a lot of talk about Senegal, and we knew they had a lot of strengths,” Rice explained. “They have some really good players, a strong team - but we completely shut them down. It was a fully deserved victory.
“Every time we win a game, people always try to pick apart [our performance] but if it was another nation, they would be talking about how it was a masterclass.
“I think that was us tonight. We were on the front foot, pressed really well and scored some great goals.
“It’s one game at a time, but now we can focus on France.”
For England and Rice, that test comes on Saturday; a second consecutive semi-final spot at the World Cup the prize, should they defeat the defending champions.
The France fixture will be broadcast live in the UK by ITV1, with coverage starting at 6pm GMT, an hour before kick-off at 7pm.
