The matches always get bigger and bigger as you get deeper into the World Cup, but it’s hard to get more drama than a knockout showdown between eternal rivals France and England.

The matches always get bigger and bigger as you get deeper into the World Cup, but it’s hard to get more drama than a knockout showdown between eternal rivals France and England.

And though this is just a quarterfinal match, Saturday’s tilt is a golden opportunity for both sides. Whomever wins will be favorites over the winner of Portugal vs. Morocco in the semifinals and will have the opportunity to do something historic. For France, they will have the chance to become the first repeat winners since Brazil in 1962, while England is looking for its first major trophy since 1966.

It’s an elimination game, so the stakes are as high as they can be for a soccer match, but when you add in the context of the rivalry between France and England, the history they’re trying to make and the fact that this is projected to be the tightest of the four quarterfinal matches, it’s hard not to get caught up in the drama.

Also adding to the drama is the fact that the betting market is having an incredibly difficult time separating these two sides. France is a slight -135 favorite to advance, while England is sitting as an even-money underdog.

Tactically, the focus of this match is on Kylian Mbappe vs. the English defense. Mbappe, who is the odds-on favorite to win the Golden Boot, has been flying in Qatar with five goals and two assists in his account. The French superstar’s pace has given every defense he’s taken on a ton of issues, but England do have speed on the flank with Kyle Walker, who is known as one of the quickest players in the sport.

Though everyone is focusing on Mbappe vs. Walker and his mates on the backline, this game likely will be won and lost in the midfield. Jude Bellingham has been a revelation in the middle of the pitch for England and has paired brilliantly with Declan Rice, but that duo has faced very little resistance so far. In fact, the only decent midfield they have taken on was the United States, and the Yanks completely neutralized Bellingham and Rice in that encounter.

France’s midfield isn’t getting much credit because everyone is talking about Mbappe, but Antoine Griezmann, Aurelien Tchouameni and Adrien Rabiot have been superb in this tournament and should have a decent chance of neutralizing England’s midfield, which should make linking up with their attacking players quite difficult.

Defensively, there are questions to ask of both sides. England were lucky not to go down against Senegal early in the Round of 16, while France looked a bit wobbly at times in a match against Poland.

Oftentimes when we get to an elimination match that features two evenly-matched soccer powerhouses the narrative becomes that it will be a tight, cagey affair that will be low on scoring. But both of these teams have thrilling attacks and vulnerable defenses, which should open things up more than most pundits expect.

A back-and-forth match would favor France, a team that likes to attack with pace through Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele, over the more measured approach from England.

Back the French to get the job done in regulation on Saturday.

The plck: France to win in 90 minutes (+145, FanDuel)