Former England midfielder Jermaine Jenas has been blown away by ‘very scary’ France but does not expect them to win the World Cup.
Two-time winners and current World Cup favourites France face African side Morocco in the quarter-finals on Thursday night.
Didier Deschamps’ side have been the standout team so far during the tournament, topping Group I with emphatic wins over Senegal, Iraq and Norway.
France scored ten goals in the group stage and continued their electric form in front of goal in their first knockout game, beating Sweden 3-0.
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Paraguay proved to be tricky last-16 opponents for the French but joint-World Cup top goalscorer Kylian Mbappe sent the 2018 champions through with a second-half penalty.
Morocco have impressed in recent major tournaments – controversially winning the recent AFCON – but France will expect to progress to the semi-finals, where they could face Spain.
European champions Spain face Belgium in their quarter-final tie on Friday and Jenas believes Luis de la Fuente’s side will advance on their way to winning the World Cup.
‘France are scary, I know that. They’re very scary,’ ex-England midfielder Jenas told 10bet.
‘When it comes to stopping France, it’s tough because I look at Spain and they’re starting to kind of click into gear now.
‘I said Spain at the start, so I’m going to stick to Spain. Spain are still better going forward than they are defensively, whereas France does have the complete package, and are fully in flow.
‘I’m going to stick with Spain because that’s what I said. But I have to say, I’ve really enjoyed watching France play.’
England face Norway in the third World Cup quarter-final on Saturday before World Cup holders Argentina take on Switzerland.
Marcel Desailly helped France win their first World Cup in 1998 and believes a third is coming out in the United States.
Asked if believes France will win the World Cup, Desailly told Sportscasting: ‘The impression that we have now, it’s a big yes.
‘Who is going to stop France? The impression that England have given the fans watching is underwhelming.
‘Germany were poor and have been eliminated. A massive under-performance. Brazil is growing. But today it is France who is showing great ability.
‘France have been the “wow” team at the tournament so far – they’ve looked much better than the rest.
‘Now, they will play Paraguay, and there is no fear at all. It will end up 3-0 or 4-0. The stats will completely explode and confidence will be at its peak.
‘If there are no injuries, France is going to win the World Cup. I have no doubt about it.’
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