Gareth Southgate has said France poses the hardest challenge England might face at the World Cup after his team set up a quarter-final date with the world champions on Saturday.

England thrashed Senegal 3-0 in the last 16 on Sunday to reach the last eight for the second straight World Cup, with Didier Deschamps' team standing in the way of a semi-final spot after they saw out Poland 3-1 earlier in the day.

Southgate's team has only defeated France once in seven encounters since the turn of the century, while the manager lost his sole clash with Les Bleus - a 3-2 setback in June 2017.

Deschamps' side lifted the trophy in Russia in 2018 and ahead of the meeting at the Al Bayt Stadium, Southgate said: "In terms of France, it's the biggest test we could face.

"They're world champions with an incredible depth of talent and outstanding individual players. They're very difficult to play against and score goals against, so it's a fantastic challenge and a brilliant game to prepare for."