Harry Kane will change will nothing about his penalty routine if he has to take a spot-kick against Tottenham team-mate Hugo Lloris during England's World Cup quarter-final with France.
England captain Kane will lead the Three Lions against a Les Bleus team skippered by goalkeeper Lloris at Al Bayt Stadium on Saturday.
Gareth Southgate's men will be underdogs against the defending world champions in a knockout game that predictably brings questions around penalties.
Though Kane and Lloris have played together at domestic level since 2011, when the England striker made his Spurs debut, lining up for a penalty against his club captain represents a largely unfamiliar experience for the 2018 Golden Boot winner.
"Surprisingly, I haven't practiced too much against Hugo, normally when I practice it's against the second or third-choice goalkeeper," Kane told a press conference.
"The starting goalkeeper normally doesn't join in the practice the day before the game which is when I practice.
"Of course, we've taken them before, but I wouldn't say I've taken loads and loads against him.
"I have similar situations when I'm in the Premier League and I face England goalkeepers, I stick to my process and routine, go through the same training day before the game and hopefully try and deliver if called upon in the match.
"I'm someone who always backs myself in any situation against any goalkeeper, but I've seen Hugo pull off some fantastic saves.
"Hopefully I'll have some chances I'll be able to put away, but also I know I'll have to be at the top of my game to do that against one of the best goalkeepers there is."
Asked about his relationship with Lloris, Kane said: "I haven't spoken with Hugo before this match. Me and Hugo have a great relationship.
"We've been playing with each other a long, long time now. We spend some time away from football as well with our wives and families.
"He's a really good guy, one of the best goalkeepers in the world. For a game like this, we're not friends for that day for sure, we go to have a good battle against each other.
"It'll be two great teams going at it. I've known Hugo a long time, I can't speak highly enough of him. I'll enjoy playing against him if we win, but I know he'll be doing everything to make France win."
Southgate confirmed England have a plan for the shoot-out but is well aware of how quickly those preparations can be altered in the heat of the moment.
"We have a plan but when you get to the end of a game maybe some players don't feel as confident or feel more confident or have an injury," said the England boss.
"All of those things have happened in the previous shoot-outs that we've had. We are as well prepared as we can be."
France's all-time top goalscorer Olivier Giroud is the most complete striker at the World Cup, according to Les Bleus legend David Trezeguet.
Giroud surpassed Thierry Henry's tally of 51 France goals as Didier Deschamps' men beat Poland in the last 16 in Qatar, teeing up Saturday's quarter-final clash with England.
The 36-year-old Milan striker has scored three goals at the tournament. Only one player has ever scored more goals at a single World Cup when aged 36 or older – Roger Milla in 1990 (four).
Speaking to RMC Sport ahead of France's meeting with the Three Lions, Trezeguet – who sits sixth in his country's scoring charts with 34 goals – said there was a lack of genuine strikers on display in Qatar.
"Olivier Giroud is the centre-forward as in my time. There really aren't any more," he said.
"Germany have suffered a lot without a centre-forward, the Netherlands and others have a clear idea without a centre-forward.
"It is difficult to explain. We saw Spain, who lacked efficiency, either there was [Alvaro] Morata or there was nothing.
"There is beauty, the technical side but you have to finish the job and Giroud seems to me to be the most complete in this competition."
Meanwhile, Trezeguet is confident France can become the first nation to retain the World Cup since Brazil in 1962, hailing Deschamps' management of the side.
"The French team has a clear idea, it is going very well with Giroud doing an exceptional job up front, [Adrien] Rabiot at a very high level, [Theo] Hernandez has been a huge solution," he said.
"There are details, but I think it's the most complete team. Deschamps has always been clear, the team plays on his qualities."
However, the 1998 World Cup winner knows England will offer a stern challenge in the last eight, as he lauded their development under Gareth Southgate.
"Gareth Southgate, I had the chance to know him at FIFA level. He is not a classic English coach, he is much more disciplined on the tactical side," he said.
"Over time this team has progressed. This team has everything to compete with the France team."
England will go into their World Cup quarter-final showdown with France boasting "more belief than in 2018", according to Harry Kane.
The Three Lions are aiming to dethrone the reigning champions at Al Bayt Stadium on Saturday and clinch a second successive appearance in the last four.
Though boasting the second-youngest squad at the finals, Gareth Southgate guided England to the semi-finals in Russia four years ago, before eventually succumbing to an experienced Croatia.
The Three Lions then reached the Euro 2020 final, only to suffer a heartbreaking defeat by Italy on penalties at Wembley.
Kane acknowledges expectations are different in Qatar, but says he and his team-mates are determined to go the extra steps this time around.
Addressing the media at a pre-match conference, the captain said: "In 2018, we didn't really know what to expect from the group. It was a new experience for a lot of us.
"We got to the semi-final - whether we had the full belief to go and win the tournament, I'm not quite sure.
"The belief has been building and building over four or five years now. We entered this tournament believing we can win it. We face a really tough game tomorrow, we'll go into that game with maybe more belief than in 2018.
"We're not here just to reach the quarter-finals, let's put it that way. We know there are some very good teams in this tournament, and we also know that we're a very good team as well. If we did lose tomorrow, we'd be as disappointed as anyone.
"Between us - the players, the staff, everyone involved - we have a real belief and a real determination to be successful as an England team. We can only prove that on the pitch, we can only prove that by winning games like tomorrow.
"Also, tomorrow isn't a World Cup final, tomorrow is another step to trying to win the World Cup, we have to be fully focused on that and trying to get through to the next round."
Neymar's record-equalling goal was in vain as Brazil crashed out of the World Cup with a 4-2 penalty shoot-out defeat to Croatia after a 1-1 draw on Friday.
Brazil seemed destined for the semi-finals when Neymar scored his 77th international goal, matching the great Pele, midway through extra-time at Education City Stadium.
Yet Bruno Petkovic's strike deflected in off Marquinhos with four minutes remaining to force a shoot-out and the Brazil defender then missed his spot-kick to send Croatia into the last four.
Dominik Livakovic, who was the standout performer and made 11 saves in the 120 minutes before the shoot-out, had saved Rodrygo's first effort, with Neymar not taking a penalty as the favourites were sent packing.
Lisandro Martinez was included by Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni for Friday's World Cup quarter-final against the Netherlands.
Manchester United defender Martinez came on five minutes after half-time in Argentina's narrow 2-1 win over Australia in the round of 16 and retains his place at the expense of Papu Gomez with Scaloni reverting to a 3-5-2 formation.
Rodrigo De Paul also starts while Angel Di Maria is named on the bench.
Louis van Gaal also makes one change to his Netherlands starting line-up with Steven Bergwijn coming in for Davy Klaassen.
Gareth Southgate believes it will take a collective effort from England to stop Kylian Mbappe in Saturday's mouthwatering World Cup quarter-final against France.
Mbappe is the tournament's top scorer with five goals in four matches, including a double in the reigning champions' 3-1 victory over Poland in the round of 16.
Kyle Walker is the player many believe will be chosen to deal with the power and pace of Mbappe, with the possibility that Southgate will opt to play with a back five.
The Three Lions boss does not think it will all be on Walker to stop the Paris Saint-Germain star, stating that every player will have to chip in.
"He’s [Walker] been a very important player for us over the last six years," Southgate said.
"Kyle is ready. We, of course, are talking about one of the opposition, but we play France who are a fantastic team.
"We're aware of the quality of the whole squad. He's [Didier Deschamps] created a team that is stronger than the individuals. That's great credit to him, we know we've got to be at our very best to win the game."
Asked how England will prepare for Mbappe, Southgate said: "Same as every position on the field, you have 10 one-v-one battles, but then everybody else round those battles has to support their team-mate.
"You've got to work collectively to stop any player like that. You’ve got to work the areas of the pitch zonally to make sure there's good coverage and support for every player on the pitch, simple as that."
France are unbeaten in the 13 games in which Mbappe has started in the World Cup and European Championship combined (W10 D3), winning all nine in which he has played from the beginning at the World Cup.
The 23-year-old has been directly involved in 12 goals in those 13 starts, scoring nine and making three assists.
England captain Harry Kane, though, believes Walker is in the form of his life and is more than capable of dealing with Mbappe.
"Kyle is a fantastic defender," Kane said. "He's been probably the most consistent right back there's been for the last 10 years or so.
"He's playing at the highest level I think he's ever played at. I know everyone's talking about Kyle and Kylian, but Kyle will be focused on doing his job for the team as he always does. He's one of the best defenders."
Gareth Southgate confirmed Raheem Sterling will be involved in England's World Cup quarter-final showdown with France, but the Three Lions will continue to assess the Chelsea forward's fitness.
Sterling returned home to be with his family after an apparent burglary at their house and missed the 3-0 win over Senegal in the round of 16 last Sunday.
An investigation has been launched by Surrey Police after the raid was reported on Saturday.
Sterling is now back with the squad in Qatar, and featured in a light training session on Friday ahead of the mouthwatering clash with the reigning champions on Saturday.
Southgate is delighted to have the former Manchester City player back at his disposal, but said the Three Lions will wait before deciding the role he will play at Al Bayt Stadium.
"I've spoken briefly with him at training, [I] need to pick up with him again later," Th England manager said. "It's great he’s back with us.
"He wanted to train today. Normally, we wouldn't do that having been on a long flight, but it was a lighter session.
"He'll be involved tomorrow, but what that looks like? Hard to tell what his level is. We'll just have to assess that, really pleased he's back, and he's an important player for us."
Spain's decision to part ways with Luis Enrique following their World Cup exit was "yet another mistake," according to former La Roja head coach Javier Clemente.
The former Barcelona boss' departure was confirmed on Thursday, two days after the 2010 world champions were eliminated by Morocco on penalties in the last 16.
Luis Enrique's contract was due to expire at the conclusion of the finals, and the Royal Football Federation (RFEF) opted not to renew his deal and announced current Under-21 boss Luis de la Fuente is set to take over.
Former Spain boss Clemente feels Luis Enrique, who he coached at the World Cup in 1994 and 1998, should not be blamed after overseeing a second successive last-16 exit, having fallen at the same stage to host nation Russia four years ago.
"I think it is not a success to have dispensed with Luis Enrique as coach," he told El Programa de Ortega. "This is yet another mistake.
"Luis Enrique is a very good coach, with his ideas, with his personality, friendly, pleasant, man of the house. The problem of the Spanish team is a problem of Spanish football.
"[Morocco] stood up and closed well behind, and the players did not have the temperament to overcome it.
"You always talk about the coaches, but when you play badly, you also have to talk about the players. Is Luis Enrique to blame [for the penalties]? Not really.
The RFEF is expected to officially announce De La Fuente as Luis Enrique's successor on Monday.
The 61-year-old has spent close to a decade coaching Spain's age-grade sides, winning the Under-19 European Championship in 2015 and the Under-21 equivalent in 2021.
He also took charge of the Under-23 side at the Beijing Olympics last year and won a silver medal following defeat to Brazil in the final.
"You don't imagine he'll end up as a coach," said Clemente, who coached De La Fuente at Athletic Bilbao during the early stages of his playing career.
"I think it's good, he's been in the Under-21s, and he's had good results. He's done well, he already knows the kids. I don't know how he coaches, but I tell you he's very good because he's a friend of mine."
FIFA will display anti-discrimination messages at the World Cup quarter-final matches on Friday and Saturday to mark International Human Rights Day.
FIFA is collaborating with the World Health Organisation (WHO) to show the #NoDiscrimination hashtag on the giant screens and LED boards within the stadiums.
The World Cup in Qatar has come under intense scrutiny for the standards of human rights within the host nation, particularly the views on same-sex marriage and the treatment of migrant workers used to build the tournament's infrastructure.
On Wednesday, The Athletic reported a Filipino man in his early 40s died while working at the base of Saudi Arabia during the group stage.
When questioned on the incident the chief executive of Qatar 2022, Nasser Al Khater, told the BBC: "Death is a natural part of life, whether it's at work or in your sleep."
FIFA also declined to comment on the reports, with its secretary general Fatma Samoura saying to Reuters: "We've already elaborated... about what we are doing in Qatar.
"We are talking about things we have already discussed for months and months, time and time again."
But FIFA signalled its intention to celebrate International Human Rights Day on December 10, explaining in a press release: "Discrimination - in all its possible forms and expressions - is one of the most common forms of human rights violations and abuse.
"FIFA and the World Health Organization (WHO) will mark International Human Rights Day on Saturday, 10 December by reinforcing the message that there is no place for discrimination of any kind, either in football or in society in general.
"During the FIFA World Cup quarter-final matches on 9 and 10 December, the #NoDiscrimination message will feature on giant screens and LEDs in stadium and, as during the whole of the tournament, on the captains' armbands."
Italy midfielder Nicolo Barella claims the Azzurri should have been at the World Cup "by right" after being crowned European champions.
A stunning 1-0 defeat to North Macedonia in a play-off qualification game in March eliminated Italy, who were almost totally dominant but conceded the game's only goal in second-half stoppage time.
It meant four-time winners Italy have failed to qualify for two consecutive World Cups, unprecedented in their history, and Inter star Barella has felt unable to watch the tournament due to his gripe that he should be involved.
In fact, he suggested the latest winners of the European and South American championships should always be granted automatic places at the World Cup. Such a move would be unlikely to go down well with confederations from other continents, unless they were also cut in on such an arrangement.
Italy, who won the delayed Euro 2020 finals last year, remain devastated by their World Cup qualifying stumble.
"I haven't seen half a match of the World Cup yet, I can't understand the feeling I feel," Barella said.
"They say that the pitch is always right, but for me in this case it gave an unfair response. Today it was our turn, maybe tomorrow it will be the turn of others: whoever wins a European Championship or a Copa America deserves to go to a World Cup by right."
Barella's suggestion is similar to one from Roberto Mancini, the Italy head coach, last month. Mancini also said the champions of every continent should be awarded an automatic spot at the World Cup.
Barella hopes to go to the 2026 tournament, which will be co-hosted by Mexico, Canada and the United States, and can see him remaining an Inter player through to that time.
A host of teams, including Chelsea and Liverpool from the Premier League, have been linked as possible suitors for Barella, who has a contract with Inter that runs through to 2026.
"We have to get there first," he said of the next World Cup, "but yeah, I see myself on the pitch in 2026 still as an Inter player."
Whether Milan Skriniar remains at Inter for so long must be in major doubt.
Paris Saint-Germain wanted him in the last transfer window and may come back in January, and the 27-year-old Slovakian centre-back is due to lapse out of contract at the end of the season.
Barella will let Skriniar make his own decisions about the future, insisting others should not play any part.
"I will never allow myself to give him advice," Barella said. "Everyone makes their choices. Then, at the end of his career, we will see if they were right or wrong. I hope he stays because in addition to being incredibly strong, he is a brother."
Bruno Fernandes and Portugal are alert to the threat of an upset posed by Morocco in their World Cup quarter-final after the Atlas Lions stunned Spain and now eye tournament history.
Walid Regragui's side held La Roja to a 0-0 draw before beating them 3-0 on penalties, owing much to the saves of goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.
Portugal had been effective if unspectacular in the group stage, but they released the handbrake in the last 16, demolishing Switzerland 6-1 in one of the finest performances by any team at Qatar 2022 after Goncalo Ramos came in for the benched Cristiano Ronaldo and scored a hat-trick.
With the out-of-form and maligned Ronaldo out of the team, there was a perception of Portugal suddenly realising their potential without the 37-year-old holding them back, and Ramos' performance – as he became the first player since 2002 to net a World Cup treble on his first start – was evidence of that.
But Fernandes – involved in more goals (five) than any of his team-mates in this tournament – insists Portugal will not be taking anything for granted.
"It's a difficult game," he told reporters. "Morocco are a really good team.
"They came first in the group, beat Spain, so we are aware of their qualities. We want to do the best game, as always, but we have to focus on ourselves and understand what we need to do to win our game.
"That's the most important thing: that we do our game, do our job to get through. We know it will be a really difficult game."
That is backed up by the fact Morocco have kept three clean sheets in four games at this World Cup, which is the most ever by an African side in a single edition of the tournament.
But the task facing Morocco is monumental.
If they do see off Portugal, Morocco will become the first African nation to reach the semi-finals of a World Cup.
Each of the previous three African teams to reach a quarter-final were all eliminated in the last eight, with Cameroon (1990), Senegal (2002) and Ghana (2010) falling at this hurdle.
Additionally, only two of the previous 11 knockout meetings between European and African teams at the World Cup have seen CAF sides progress, and one of those was Morocco's shoot-out win over Spain.
Morocco have been one of the best-supported nations in Qatar, and Regragui is calling on the support of the rest of the Arab world to help bridge the gap in quality to Portugal.
"We cannot achieve anything without the Moroccan public," he said. "Four days ago, they came to the hotel to ask for tickets, and many of them came from all over to encourage us.
"We tell our supporters that we need them, especially in the quarter-finals, to write history. We also need Arab supporters; Algerians, Tunisians and Africans, and we know that many countries are behind us."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Portugal – Goncalo Ramos
Will Fernando Santos stick to his guns and keep Ronaldo on the bench? Judging by the team's performance against Switzerland, he should.
Ramos had a hand in four goals against the Swiss and his hat-trick in 74 minutes was more knockout goals than Ronaldo has ever managed in the knockout stages of the World Cup (none in 531 minutes).
Morocco – Yassine Bounou
He was the Atlas Lions' hero in the last 16, saving two penalties in the shoot-out – the other hit the post, but he seemed to have it covered anyway.
But even outside of penalty shoot-outs, Bounou is a key man for Morocco as a dependable goalkeeper who was even nominated for FIFA's Yashin Trophy – the prize given to the world's best keeper – earlier this year.
PREDICTION
Portugal are firm favourites here, with Santos' side having a 55.8 per cent chance of progressing to the semi-finals.
Morocco have an 18.8 per cent likelihood of winning in normal time, with the draw rated at 25.4 per cent.
Clearly then, while the Atlas Lions are the underdogs, they have a good opportunity of at least forcing extra-time, which did not work out too badly for them last time.
Mesut Ozil described Cristiano Ronaldo as "one of the greatest athletes in sports history" and does not believe his former Real Madrid team-mate is being shown sufficient respect in the twilight of his career.
Free agent Ronaldo has fallen out of favour at club and now international level, having been named among the substitutes for Portugal's 6-1 win over Switzerland on Tuesday.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner is also currently without a club after his contract with Manchester United, where he struggled for playing time, was terminated by mutual consent.
Ronaldo's replacement on Tuesday, Benfica youngster Goncalo Ramos, scored a hat-trick against Switzerland and is now set to keep his place for Saturday's quarter-final tie with Morocco.
Istanbul Basaksehir midfielder Ozil played alongside Ronaldo in the Spanish capital between 2010 and 2013, and has taken to social media to launch a robust defence of his former team-mate.
"I really don't get where this constant negativity from the press about Cristiano comes from," he wrote on Twitter.
"The media is just trying to get clicks, and pundits who don't have a career anymore just want to get attention with his big name and try to make him look bad.
"He is soon 38 years old - so what's the surprise that he doesn't score 50 goals a season anymore? Every football fan out there should be happy to have seen him playing world-class football for 20 years.
"I don't think anyone from the new generation will be able to match his numbers again. He will forever be in his own category. Everyone should show more respect to one of the greatest athletes in sports history."
Cristiano Ronaldo has never asked to leave the Portugal squad at the World Cup, but coach Fernando Santos did admit the veteran striker was not happy at being left out against Switzerland.
The 37-year-old was omitted for the round of 16 clash with Switzerland with Portugal cruising to a 6-1 win in his absence to set up a quarter-final clash with Morocco on Saturday.
Reports had suggested there had been a major fall-out between Santos and Ronaldo with the latter threatening to walk out, but that was flatly denied.
Santos said: "We had a conversation. I don't do that with all the players but he's the captain of the squad. You know what he represents for Portuguese football, for the Portuguese people and for the national team.
"It was on the day of the match after lunch. I explained to him why he would not play and said in terms of our strategy 'I think it would be better if you did not start. I think the game will be difficult and I will save you for the second half'.
"Cristiano was obviously not very happy as he has always been a starting player. But we had a normal conversation in which I explained my points and he accepted them.
"He never told me he wanted to leave the national team."
Santos often wears the look of an exasperated man but he was especially perplexed by the repeated questions relating to the former Manchester United and Real Madrid star.
"It's high time we stopped with this conversation and look at what he did in the match," he added.
"He warmed up with his colleagues, he celebrated all the goals and he was the one who invited the players to applaud the fans at the end. It's time for you [the media] to leave Cristiano alone.
"Ninety per cent of the questions are about Cristiano."
Ronaldo's replacement against Switzerland, Goncalo Ramos, scored a hat-trick as part of a team that displayed more verve and attacking threat than in previous games in Qatar.
Santos refused to confirm whether Ramos would keep his place against Morocco or if Ronaldo would return.
"Just because a team wins doesn't mean you can't change it," he said. "The team we play on Saturday will present different challenges, they are a very different team to Switzerland.
"They are well-organised with many players who play for the biggest clubs in the world. This will not be an easy game."
Playmaker Joao Felix was another who shone against the Swiss, arguably playing his best game of the tournament. Asked if he felt the shackles had been released with Ronaldo absent, he said: "I don't think it's mandatory to pass to Cristiano. We try to pass to the player that's available.
"Independent of Cristiano being on the field, we have the same tactics, the ones we've been using for all four games. He has skills that other players have and vice-versa. We, as a team, have our own identity and we focus on that."
Portugal may have looked better without Cristiano Ronaldo in the last 16, but Morocco coach Walid Regragui is hoping to see the superstar forward on the bench again.
Ronaldo was dropped by Fernando Santos after angering the Portugal coach with an exchange in their final World Cup group game against South Korea.
The 37-year-old's absence was not felt against Switzerland, however, as Portugal won 6-1, with Goncalo Ramos replacing Ronaldo and scoring a stunning hat-trick.
Santos will surely stick with the same team again when his side take on Morocco in the quarter-finals, but Regragui would prefer that to be the case.
"I don't know if Ronaldo will start. I hope he won't," Regragui said. "As a coach, I know he's one of the best players in history. I'd be delighted if he didn't play.
"But we're not going to focus on Portugal. They're hungry, they also want to get into the history books.
"We're going to have more supporters in the stadium, and we can do it."
Throughout his pre-match news conference on Friday, Regragui outlined his ambition to make history, with Morocco already enjoying their best run at a World Cup.
Discussing pre-tournament predictions that had Morocco failing in the group stage, he said: "They all thought they knew who was going to win the World Cup. We are here, too.
"Our players are hungry. We're not satisfied with what we've done so far."
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
