SEE YOU TOMORROW!
We have seen the round of last-16 start in thrilling fashion and there’s more football to come from Russia in just over an hour.
It’s Uruguay up against Portugal in Sochi at the Fisht Olympic Stadium. Uruguay are yet to concede a goal in the tournament while Luis Suarez and Cristiano Ronaldo will hope to maintain their countries hopes of World Cup glory.
ALL OVER IN KAZAN
A truly breathless match has come to an end and what a way to kick off the last-16 matches. Argentina pulled back a goal late on through substitute Sergio Aguero but France held on to reach the last eight of the tournament.
Portugal against Uruguay to come later tonight.
France beat Argentina 4-3 to advance to the quarter final stage.
‘ENGLAND MORE THAN KANE’
Colombia’s Carlos Sanchez has insisted England a far more than a one-man team reliant on their captain Harry Kane.
The England forward is expected to return to the starting fold for the last-16 match but Sanchez, who played at Aston Villa for two seasons, says Gareth Southgate’s side pose a wider threat.
“He is emblematic for England and shows their quality in the World Cup, but we will not face him alone, it will be the England team, there are many figures,” Sanchez said.
“The English are a country with a lot of history, they are very structured, they have players with important offensive power and they have shown in this competition, tactically, a very well worked team.
“We are not favourites, they invented football, they have a lot of history, players with a lot of quality.
TEAM NEWS FROM KAZAN
Didier Deschamps has made six changes to his starting side from their last group game against Denmark. That was one of the poorer games of this World Cup.
Argentina: No striker in the team with Lionel Messi playing in a false nine. The only change being Cristian Pavon for Gonzalo Higuain.
France: Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kante among the players to return. They’ll go at Argentina with a frontline of Olivier Giroud, Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappe.
ALLI: NO EASIER ROUTE
Alli also rejects the notion England have the easier route through the competition after falling into the bottom half of the draw, following the defeat to Belgium.
“I think it’s very dangerous [to think like that],” he said. “We have to approach every game like we’re playing the best team in the world.
“These are top sides. No international game is easy.
“For us, we’re not focusing on the next game, we’ve got to [first] get through against Colombia.
“They are a dangerous side and we have got to get through that and not look into the future.”
ALLI REJECTS MOMENTUM FEARS
Dele Alli insists there is no sense within the camp that England have lost momentum after the 1-0 defeat to Belgium in their final Group G game on Thursday.
“As players we support any decision the manager makes,” Alli. “We’ve come here with a big squad and everyone is fighting for their place. It was a great opportunity and I think the boys have done well.
“I don’t think we lost any momentum. We’re all fighting, we’re all raring to go and we’re all looking forward to the next game.”
ALLI CONFIRMS FULL FITNESS
Dele Alli says there are no remaining injury doubts over his availability for England’s last-16 match against Colombia.
“Obviously after the injury I was frustrated but I’ve been doing a lot of work every day to make sure I’m fit and ready to go,” he said.
FRANCE-ARGENTINA TEAM NEWS
Just over an hour to go until France play Argentina and we have some team news from both both sides.
France XI: Lloris, Pavard, Varane, Umtiti, Hernandez, Kante, Pogba, Mbappe, Griezmann, Matuidi, Giroud
Argentina XI: Armani, Mercado, Otamendi, Rojo, Tagliafico, Mascherano, Enzo Perez, Banega, Pavon, Messi, Di Maria
ENGLAND TO END KNOCKOUT WOE?
With Dele Alli’s press conference with the media slightly behind schedule here’s a look back at the full list of England’s knockout victories at major tournaments.
England’s last win outside the group stages was a full 12 years ago. Do you remember who it was against? Read on HERE to find out and more.
NEV’S RALLYING CRY: TIME TO BELIEVE
Gary Neville has issued a passionate plea for the nation to be swept up in optimism as England head into the World Cup knockout stages.
‘TIME TO WRITE OUR HISTORY’
He has been subject of interest from a host of European clubs this summer but for now Nabil Fekir appears determined to help his country continue their World Cup adventure.
France last won the competition on home soil in 1998.
TRENDS OF THE TOURNAMENT
Before the last-16 action gets underway it’s a good time to grab your attention and signpost a feature some of my colleagues have done into the trends we have seen from the group stages.
WORLD CUP PREVIEWS
Just over three hours to go until we have World Cup football back in our lives!
France take on Argentina from 3pm and we have compiled a preview to get you up to speed with all the significant facts for both countries.
Both were unconvincing despite during the group stages but have great standing on the world stage and are full of well-known players.
SUAREZ: RONALDO RIVALRY JUST IN LA LIGA
One of today’s two last-16 matches between European champions Portugal and Uruguay promises to be a feisty encounter.
Both countries possess talismanic figures in Cristiano Ronaldo and Luis Suarez but ahead of the encounter, the Barcelona man says their rivalry from La Liga doesn’t extend to the international stage.
MERSON: COLOMBIA ARE A POOR SIDE
England’s next opponents Colombia possess James Rodriguez, an injury doubt for the match, Radamel Falcao, Juan Cuadrado and Davinson Sanchez but Paul Merson believes they are a ‘poor’ side and Gareth Southgate’s side have nothing to fear.
ALLI TO FACE THE MEDIA
Dele Alli is the England player who will face the media at around 1:15pm today.
The midfielder trained with the rest of his team-mates this morning and looks to have shaken off the thigh injury he sustained against Tunisia.
LOFTUS-CHEEK AND DELPH MISS ENGLAND TRAINING
Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Fabian Delph were the only absentees from training as England continued preparations for their World Cup knockout clash with Colombia.
Loftus-Cheek, who started England’s last two Group G games, is not carrying an injury but completed a personal conditioning session at the team hotel rather than joining team-mates at their Spartak Zelenogorsk training base.
Delph, meanwhile, remains in England having flown back for the birth of his third child following Thursday’s 1-0 defeat to Belgium.
John Stones came off at half-time in that match and was seen with bandaging on his left calf, but he took part with the rest of the group and is not understood to be a fitness concern.
Dele Alli, who sustained a thigh problem in England’s opening win over Tunisia and has not featured since, is now back to fitness and should be in contention for Tuesday’s last-16 match in Moscow.
SOUTHGATE: KANE GETS ‘BIGGER PICTURE’
Gareth Southgate has spoken of being impressed by England captain Harry Kane’s reaction to being left out of Thursday’s 1-0 loss to Belgium.
Kane scored five goals in England’s opening two wins and leads the race for the World Cup Golden Boot but, with England already through to the last-16, Southgate decided the match was an opportunity to give the other squad members some game-time.
MARCELO INJURED BY MATTRESS
Brazil left-back Marcelo’s recent back injury was caused by his mattress at the hotel, according to the team doctor.
TRUMP: RONALDO WOULD NOT BE PORTUGAL PRESIDENT
US President Donald Trump jokes with Portugal President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa about Cristiano Ronaldo’s chances to be Portuguese president one day.
NEVILLE BACKS SOUTHGATE’S TACTICS
Gary Neville has backed Gareth Southgate’s decision to rest players including Harry Kane against Belgium
GOOD MORNING!
Hello and welcome to our World Cup Daily blog! After yesterday’s long, hard slog of a whole day without football, the round-of-16 begins today.
France vs Argentina kicks us off at 3pm, before Uruguay take on Portugal at 7pm, with a place in the quarter-finals at stake.
We will also hear from the England camp ahead of their last-16 clash with Colombia, as well as bringing you a round-up of all the other news from around the World Cup.
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