Patrick Vieira has expressed his hope that France do not have to face England in the World Cup final, should both teams advance. The former France international, speaking as a pundit for ITV, said he would 'prefer France to play Argentina' instead of England.
France's dominant run to the semi-finals
France breezed through Group I, scoring ten goals and conceding only twice, before a 3-0 win over Sweden in the last 16, with Kylian Mbappe scoring twice. A 70th-minute Mbappe penalty decided a bad-tempered quarter-final against Paraguay, and a 3-0 victory over Morocco on Thursday secured their place in the last four. Mbappe opened the scoring with a stunning curled effort, his 20th World Cup goal in 20 appearances, and Ousmane Dembele doubled the lead six minutes later.
Vieira's preference for the final
Providing punditry after Morocco's elimination, Vieira responded to Ian Wright's comments about England's confidence after their win over Mexico. 'But why do you believe that England can't do it?' Vieira said. 'I know that we're not at the final yet but I don't want France to face England in the final. I would prefer France to play Argentina.'
The holders Argentina are on the opposite side of the draw and must overcome Switzerland to continue their defence. A possible repeat of the 2022 final, which Argentina won, could be on the cards.
Mbappe's impact and defensive challenges
Vieira praised Mbappe, who moved joint-top of the World Cup goalscoring charts with Erling Haaland. 'When they're inside the box it's really difficult to touch them because they've got so much pace,' Vieira said. 'As a defender you don't want to be too close because they will be passing you really quickly.' He added that defenders must create distance but risk allowing shots.
On Dembele's goal, Vieira highlighted Mbappe's run: 'You just have to look at the pace that Mbappe attacks the space with... He created that space, he came a little more inside, and he's facing the goal.'
Potential semi-final opponents
France will face the winner of Spain's quarter-final against Belgium. Vieira commented on Belgium's decision to bench Romelu Lukaku, Kevin De Bruyne and Jeremy Doku in their 4-1 win over USA. 'Those three players are quite big names,' Vieira said. 'But if the manager is satisfied with the decision... why change the players? I think he should keep the same players.'
