sport news Gareth Southgate warns England must produce the 'very best version' of ... trends now
England are 'ready to fight France' to secure their place in the World Cup semi-finals, according to Gareth Southgate.
Thousands of fans will cheer on the Three Lions in Al Khor and millions more back home are expected to watch on TV, with pubs and bars readying themselves for another bumper evening.
England boss Southgate insisted the squad must produce the 'very best version' of themselves if they are to keep their dreams alive by overcoming the reigning World Cup champions. The two giants of European football will meet at the Al Bayt Stadium on Saturday evening, with the winner facing Morocco or Portugal in the semis on December 14.
Gareth Southgate warned England must produce best version of themselves to beat France
The British Beer and Pub Association hopes the 7pm kick-off time in the UK will encourage punters to visit their local early. It predicts six million more pints could be sold during the quarter-final game - providing a £26 million boost to the industry. Extra police officers will be deployed in London given large swathes of English and French football fans are expected to flock to the city.
Downing Street said Rishi Sunak wishes England the 'best of luck' and he will watch the game with friends and colleagues at the Prime Minister's countryside retreat, Chequers. A No 10 spokesman said: 'He knows that the team will give everything they can to try and win the match.'
Elsewhere, the build-up saw singer Chesney Hawkes join forces with members of the England band to perform in the Souq Waqif market place in Doha. Hawkes was dubbed a 'lucky charm' by the England players after he performed his chart hit The One and Only on the pitch during the interval of their 3-0 group stage win over Wales.
Southgate said his side was ready to 'fight' France in mouth-watering quarter-final tie
England will also hope to land an early blow on Saturday morning when their supporters' team plays a seven-a-side game against their French counterparts. For the main event, Southgate feels England's run to the semi-finals of the last World Cup in 2018 and their appearance in the Euros final last summer will help them on Saturday.
He told reporters: 'In terms of our experiences, I think those big matches for the team are important reference points.
'They've had to come through many different ways of winning games, some defeats that have hurt but that we've learned a lot from and I think they prepare you for nights like tomorrow where you have got to produce the very best version of yourselves.
'The mentality is key really. The
