Lescott and Welbeck starred in last England game with France at major tournament

The Three Lions' route to glory in Qatar has been mapped out for months and a meeting with Les Bleus was always likely at some stage.

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England reached the semi-finals four years ago in Russia but defeat to Croatia meant they missed the chance to face France.

Gareth Southgate's side's road to Wembley last year in the Euros also saw them avoid having to play Didier Deschamps' men.

And that has compounded a curious trend of two of Europe's powerhouse nations avoiding each other at major tournaments.

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So do England have reason to be fearful as they finally renew a history rivalry with France? talkSPORT.com takes a look…

What is England's record against France at the World Cup?

The Three Lions have only met France twice on football's greatest stage but the good omens are that they have won both.

The first win came in 1966, where England saw off Les Bleus 2-0 on their way to lifting the Jules Rimet trophy.

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Sixteen years later in Spain at the 1982 edition it was the Three Lions who were victorious again.

Bryan Robson famously netted within 30 seconds in a 3-1 triumph.

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England vs France: Overall head-to-head

England still hold the edge in the overall head-to-head standings, boasting 17 wins to France's nine with five draws also in the mix.

However, the caveat is that the majority of meetings have been friendlies and the Three Lions' dominance in this fixture largely came when they won 11 of the first 14 showdowns from 1923 to 1957.

In recent years results haven't quite been as dominant for England as France became a powerhouse from the turn of the new millennium.

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There was a 2-1 defeat in 2004 and then a 1-1 draw at Euro 2012, the last time the two met at a major tournament.

France have only lost one of the last seven - when Dele Alli and Wayne Rooney scored in a 2-0 victory at Wembley in the aftermath of the Paris attacks in 2015.

Les Bleus emerged victorious in the latest game between the two in a friendly in Paris 2017, where Harry Kane scored a brace in a 3-2 defeat.

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England v France: talkSPORT coverage

This quarter-finals clash will take place on Saturday, December 10.

The game will be played at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor - the same one as the Senegal victory - and will kick-off at 7pm.

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talkSPORT will have live coverage of England's match, with our pre-show starting at five with Adrian Durham as your presenter.

Commentary will then come from Jim Proudfoot and former England defender Stuart Pearce.