Explosive, enticing, shocking, the French newspapers have not spared their adjectives while waiting for a quarter-final of the World Cup against England.
Their excitement is justified as the two teams meet on Saturday at 19:00 GMT in fine form, fresh off of convincing round of 16 victories.
England boosted fans’ hopes of becoming world champions for the first time since 1966 with a 3-0 victory against Senegal, while Kylian Mbappe starred as France beat Poland 3-1.
Here’s a look at how the two sides are getting along – and what French audiences expect from the Three Lions.
“God Save OUR King”
L’Equipe’s front page reads ‘God Save OUR King’, praising 23-year-old Mbappe after his two goals against Poland.
Mbappe had refused to speak to the media ahead of the last 16 game so he could fully concentrate on the match and Le Monde newspaper described him as a ‘silent saviour’.
The newspaper has gone nerd with its speculation about game plans for the last eight, paraphrasing an 18th century military quote – changing “the English, you shoot first” to “the English, you defend first”.
It was Le Figaro newspaper which called the quarter-final ‘shocking’ and ‘as explosive as it is tempting’, adding that anyone who believed France’s run at the World Cup had been easy ‘might change their minds on Saturday. next”.
Eurosport in France stresses that “the stakes have never been higher” for a France-England game, given that the two teams have never faced each other in the round of 16 of a major men’s competition.
The Sud Ouest regional newspaper simplifies things. “Ready to eat lion,” reads the front page.
History and World Cup so far
As mentioned, this is the first men’s knockout match between England and France.
The two teams last met in 2017, when France’s fast attack was too much for England and the hosts won 3-2 in Paris.
Mbappe has been central to the Blues’ success and leads the golden shoe race with five of France’s nine goals – the next top scorers are all on three.
In the group stage, France started with a 4-1 victory over Australia, then beat Denmark 2-1, before a shock 1-0 loss to Tunisia.
England started with a promising 6-2 victory over Iran, before the reality of a 0-0 draw with the United States – eventually closing the group stage with a 3-0 victory over the Netherlands. Wales.
Midfielder Jude Bellingham has drawn the most praise from England players, with L’Equipe conceding the 19-year-old has the talent to fight Frenchmen Adrien Rabiot and Antoine Griezmann.
Bellingham and England face their biggest test yet at this World Cup on Saturday and the sight of France suggests they are also prepared for their toughest challenge.
