England should not fear France, insists Alan Shearer while Rio Ferdinand believes Gareth Southgate has a better team at his disposal than Didier Deschamps.
Both countries flew through their last-16 tests with flying colours to set up a mouth-watering quarter-final tie on Saturday night - with some observers suggesting the likely winners of the tournament are to come from the game at the Al Bayt Stadium.
Speaking on the BBC ahead of Japan vs. Croatia on Monday afternoon, Shearer and Ferdinand were full of praise for Southgate's men with the former Manchester United defender arguing that while France might have the individual x-factor in Kylian Mbappe, England possess the better 'nucleus' in their squad.