Gary Lineker has declared that France are the overwhelming favourites to win the World Cup, with only Argentina and Spain possessing the capability to stop Didier Deschamps' star-studded side. The England legend described France as 'breathtaking' and warned that it will be 'incredibly difficult' for any team to compete with them.
France Dominate Group Stage
France secured their place in the last-16 with a commanding 3-0 victory over Sweden on Tuesday night. Deschamps' team have been the most impressive side throughout the tournament, defeating Senegal, Iraq and Norway in the group stage while scoring ten goals. The 2018 champions and 2022 finalists now face Paraguay for a quarter-final spot after the South Americans stunned Germany.
Lineker's Assessment
'Most of us thought France could implode because that's happened at times historically,' Lineker said on The Rest is Football podcast. 'But they seem to be really together. I honestly think it's going to be incredibly difficult for any team to compete with them never mind beat them.'
He highlighted France's attacking depth beyond Kylian Mbappe: 'You can't just crowd around him because then they've got [Michael] Olise, [Ousmane] Dembele, [Bradley] Barcola, [Desire] Doue, [Rayan] Cherki… You just think it's hard to look beyond them unless they pick up a couple of injuries to the superstars because they're just breathtaking.'
Potential Challengers
Lineker identified Argentina as the primary threat: 'I would say Argentina are the ones. It will be very difficult for England, I have to say. I'm feeling like there will be a replay of the final in Qatar from four years ago.' He also raised Spain as a possible rival if they rediscover their form from two years ago, but dismissed England's chances despite their dramatic last-16 win over DR Congo.
Ex-Manchester United defender Gary Neville echoed Lineker's sentiment on ITV: 'The only team I can see stopping France right now, because of the mentality, is Argentina. Just because of the nastiness and the horribleness and their experience. That's the only team I can see that's got the unity right now that I think could stand in front of France.'
England's Path
England, under Thomas Tuchel, impressed in a 4-2 opening win over Croatia but then drew 0-0 with Ghana and unconvincingly beat Panama. They trailed DR Congo for over an hour in the last-32 before Harry Kane scored two late goals to secure a 2-1 victory. The Three Lions now face co-hosts Mexico in the last-16 early Monday morning.
