Hugo Lloris has spent a large chunk of his career in England and he will be leading France out tonight against familiar foes in the quarter-finals of the Qatar 2022 World Cup at the Al Bayt Stadium.
The Tottenham Hotspur captain is also the skipper of France, and his club colleague Harry Kane will be wearing the England armband tonight in the last eight encounter.
Lloris is aware of the danger posed by striker Kane and knows all about the qualities of Kyle Walker, the ex-Spurs defender charged with marking explosive France forward Kylian Mbappe.
“England have a reputation for bringing a lot of energy and intensity to their performance, and that’s what they’ll do tonight,” Lloris told FIFA.
“They have a lot of commitment and have progressed year after year, they have evolved on a tactical level and are a team that is ready [to win major trophy]. They gained maturity from reaching the semi-finals of the last World Cup and final of the Euros.
“They came to Qatar with lots of ambition and are not hiding it, they want to win this World Cup. But there are lots of countries with the same ambition and, in any case, if you want to win the competition, you have to beat the best. It is up to us to play the match we need, because we’ll be facing a big mountain.
“English players are known worldwide, thanks to the Premier League and to big clubs representing the country in European competitions.
“But we’re trying to prepare as best we can and focus on details, we’re trying to be as precise as possible. However, the only truth is the one on the pitch and we know we’re expecting a big match.”
Lloris has captained his country for more than 10 years and is poised to take the armband for an astonishing 119th time tonight.
Current head coach Didier Deschamps played the second highest number of games as skipper, the 54-year-old’s total of 52 meagre by comparison.
Lloris, the first Frenchman to participate in four World Cups, recorded clean sheets in both the quarter-finals and semi-finals on the way to winning the title at Russia 2018.
And he is employing that depth of experience to avoid getting swept away in the increasing excitement around the huge France-England clash.
“It is important to find the balance between concentration and preparation,” said the 35-year-old Lloris.
“And it’s also important to be relaxed before this kind of match. The squad is doing well, we’re smiling and also aware of what’s at stake.
“We’re all looking forward to it. England have their strengths, we have ours and we have everything to play a big match. There’s a lot at stake: reaching the final four of this competition, which is symbolic.”
