Andrew Price (coach and analyst):

I have always said prior to the tournament that France’s squad has enough quality and depth despite the absence of players such as Paul Pogba, N’Golo Kante, and more recently Karim Benzema. Coach Didier Deschamps rested several players for the knockout phase in the last firstround game. They were fresh and rested; they all showed up. They have sent a message that they won’t give up their title so easily.

Warren Barrett (former national captain and goalkeeper, now goalkeeping coach):

France won the last World Cup without Benzema so personally, I didn’t expect his absence to have any negative impact on their offence. They are stacked with many offensive weapons, and in Kylian Mbappe they have a worldclass player who will create and score goals.

Tanya Lee Perkins (Athlete manager and head of LEEP Marketing):

France are currently the team to beat. They have shown no signs of missing Benzema’s prolific presence or Pogba’s leadership in the dressing room. Mbappe is unstoppable.