England World Cup news conference quotes: 'We are ready to fight France'

1. England news conference: "We are ready to fight France" - Southgate
2. Sterling back in England training
3. Morocco v Portugal (15:00) and England v France (19:00) complete quarter-finals on Saturday

Get Involved - Who will win the World Cup?

Netherlands have lost one game in 26 matches, including 16/18 points in the Nations League against Belgium, Poland, Wales! That one defeat to Czech Rep was largely down to a red card too. Argentina are a huge test for this Dutch side, no doubt, but Argentina as favourites is over confident. They are beatable and this Dutch side could blow them away.

Chris

As much as I'd love to see my beloved England win it, I just cannot see us beating either France or Brazil. Deschamps says we have 'no weaknesses' but I disagree - our defence is our weakness. Brazil will beat France in the final, for Pele

Dave

I said to my colleague during a team meeting that I’m waiting for the bank holiday for when England win the World Cup. He laughed heartily and replied, ‘don’t be so naive!’ That shut me down.

Anon

We'll get a few bank holidays over Christmas at least.

And a proper rest from football too.

Oh no, wait...

Pump up the volume

Lovely stuff.

'Total football' makes way for 'winning football'

Anna Holligan

BBC News Hague correspondent

Getty Images

Teamwork makes the dream work - that's the mindset the Dutch will be bringing to Argentina, as they seek to exact revenge for their semi-final penalty defeat in 2014.

While Argentina depend on the attacking prowess of Lionel Messi, the Dutch are guided by veteran coach Louis van Gaal, a pioneer of "Total Football", in which players are expected to be able to show versatility and switch positions.

With little expectation they can dominate possession, the seemingly counter-intuitive Dutch approach is to allow their opponents to have the ball and strike through counterattacks, "omschakeling” or "switchover" as they say.

Back home they've been accused of playing a "boring" rather than beautiful game. But there have been flashes of brilliance in their unbeaten road to the quarter finals, like the mesmerising 20-pass move that set up assist-king Memphis Depay’s opener against the US.

Louis van Gaal describes it as "winning football". He came out of retirement for this, it could be the last time we see him in the dugout, and he'll be hoping to leave the world stage on a high by going one step further in the World Cup than the Dutch have ever done.

Gakpo has 'a little bit of everything'

Ulrik Pedersen/DeFodi Images via Getty Images

Cody Gakpo's former coach Luc Nilis says the Dutch forward "has a little bit of everything" to thrive.

After more than 100 goals for PSV and Belgium, Nilis knows a fair bit about scoring goals and he told BBC World Service's World Football in Qatar podcast that his protege is mentally strong and hardworking, alongside being rapid and technically solid.

Can Gakpo cope with the increased expectation though?

Nilis insisted he is level-headed and won't do "crazy things".

If Gakpo can add to his three World Cup goals against Argentina this evening, that would be nice way to prove Nilis' point.

Get Involved

I told myself we wouldn't have a Get Involved on Cristiano Ronaldo today...

And we're not - I promise - but two interesting comments filtering through in response to Mesut Ozil (12:39).

Has Ozil just proved his own point? Someone without a career talking about CR7 to get attention?

Anon

Ronaldo doesn't need to be left alone! He needs a few people around him giving out some decent advice. His legacy is nowhere near being in any doubt, but steadying the foundations a little wouldn't be the worst idea right now.

Chris

Which do you prefer?

While we're with you Jurgen...

Hit the thumbs.

Thumbs up for Klinsmann being better, thumbs down if you think Richarlison's goal was better.

Don't expect Van Gaal to transform his system for Messi

Jurgen Klinsmann

Former Germany head coach

Getty Images

It's so good to be back in action today and the Netherlands v Argentina game is a fixture with a great World Cup tradition.

If the Netherlands lose, it could be Louis van Gaal's final match as a manager. It's testament to the Dutch footballing culture that it can include both the approach of Johan Cruyff and that of van Gaal - two completely different philosophies but both fantastic managers.

Like in 2014, his side face the great Lionel Messi but I don't expect Van Gaal to necessarily change his system to focus on him. He is such an experienced coach, he will emphasise playing as a collective and keeping things very compact in the middle of the park.

They will make sure that as soon as Argentina get the ball into the final third that people are on them right away.

That's been his approach in all the matches so far and they've done it really, really well.

Argentina must master emotions to cope with adversity

Argentina must learn how better to deal with adversity if they want to succeed, according to Argentinian journalist Francisco Canepa.

He told BBC World Service's World Football in Qatar programme the squad needs to be calmer when going behind in games, citing the shock loss to Saudi Arabia in the opening fixture as a prime example of the team losing their heads when they concede.

"All of a sudden when you have to go and look for the result, look for a goal or look to dominate your opponent, if you can't imagine your emotions it's like shooting yourself," he says.

Canepa believes their quarter-final opponents the Netherlands have a "cold minded" approach and is worried opposition teams in the latter stage of the tournament will "take advantage" of those who buckle under pressure.

Argentina slight favourites, but Netherlands have been solid

Raphael Honigstein

Football journalist

I think Argentina are the slight favourites because of the Lionel Messi factor and other players that they have up front that can make a difference.

But the Netherlands have proven themselves to be a very obdurate and difficult team to play against.

This is not the shimmering, brilliant Oranje of yesteryear. It's a functional, quite defensive side with Louis van Gaal as manager who's formed a real unit. Unlike the past where you had big egos fighting with each other, this is a team that's unified.

Slightly less entertaining and exciting for all that but better when it comes to getting results - which is why there's not much in it.

'Leave Ronaldo alone'

Portugal boss Fernando Santos asked earlier for everyone to "leave Cristiano Ronaldo alone".

Former Arsenal and Germany midfielder Mesut Ozil knows a bit about the negative headlines a player can experience and he posted the below on social media.

Get Involved - Who will win the World Cup?

Brazil won't have had a challenge till the semifinal, so we still don't know what they are really capable of.

Anon

Croatia command more respect than they are getting! Will they beat Brazil? Probably not, but they can certainly keep it locked at 0-0 deep into the second half. I believe the Dutch could put on a real show against this Argentina side tonight too. Arg vs Bra semi really isn't a shoe in!

Chris

I'm predicting a Portugal win, simply because it forms the best storyline imo, with Ronaldo having to 'sacrifice' his own personal glory for the team and nation.

Sam

Danny Murphy

Former England midfielder on BBC Radio 5 Live

This is the time where everyone looks at the games and finds it difficult to choose a winner.

All the quarter finals have jeopardy. I always look forward to seeing Argentina and making the most of this opportunity to see Messi before it ends for him.

If he plays like he did in the last game, you've got to fancy them.

BBC Sport

Whoever wins this tie, it is likely to mean the end of the road for at least one footballing legend at a World Cup.

Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal is probably in his last job in management, while this is almost certainly Argentina icon Lionel Messi's final tournament on this stage.

Van Gaal is doing things differently to the traditional 4-3-3 the Dutch usually play, but they have been effective, even if they are not exactly beautiful to watch in the way their great teams of the past were.

Argentina have played with a little more panache on their way to this stage, helped by some pieces of brilliance from Messi. but they are a team with issues of their own.

You can definitely get at them and create chances, and I feel like Netherlands forwards Memphis Depay and Cody Gakpo might get some good opportunities.

Have I mentioned before now that the Netherlands are my left-field pick for the tournament? As I said, they don't play the prettiest football, but they get the job done. I'm sticking with them here, too.

Argentina's fans are the best at this World Cup; they are certainly the loudest. Any team with Messi in their side won't go quietly, but they might be heading home soon.

Sutton's prediction: 2-1

A goal to remember by one of the great Dutch forwards Dennis Bergkamp, against Argentina in the 1998 World Cup quarter-finals.

The pass wasn't bad either was it?

Netherlands v Argentina: Dennis Bergkamp scores iconic goal in World Cup 1998

Van Gaal shrugs off Di Maria's 'worst' coach claim

Van Gaal & Depay respond to Di Maria's 'worst manager' claim

Netherlands boss Louis van Gaal has shrugged off criticism from Argentina winger Angel di Maria with the pair set to meet again in Friday's World Cup quarter-final.

Di Maria played under Van Gaal at Manchester United and called him the "worst" coach of his career after his one-year stay in England.

"I don't like it that Angel said that, it's a pity," said Van Gaal.

"But sometimes a head coach has to take decisions that don't always end well."

Di Maria, who sat out the last-16 victory over Australia with a thigh problem, joined United from Real Madrid for £59.7m in 2014, but was sold to Paris St-Germain the following summer after starting just 20 Premier League games.

Speaking at a news conference on Thursday, the Dutch boss jokingly used his relationship with forward Memphis Depay, who also struggled under him at United, as an example of how relationships can alter over time.

"He (Di Maria) is one of the very few players who has ever said that, normally it's the other way round," said Van Gaal, before suggesting he and Depay were now close enough that he would happily give the forward a kiss.

Netherlands boss Van Gaal's private cancer ordeal

Emma Sanders

BBC Sport

Getty Images

Louis van Gaal is one of the most decorated managers in football, but his biggest challenge has been off the pitch since being diagnosed with cancer nearly two years ago.

The Netherlands boss revealed in April he had an aggressive form of prostate cancer, which he had hidden from his players in an effort to maintain their focus before the World Cup.

Van Gaal lost his first wife, Fernanda, to cancer in 1994 when she was 39 and given what the 71-year-old has faced in the build-up to the Netherlands' campaign in Qatar, when his side line up for their quarter-final against Argentina on Friday (19:00 GMT), it will be a significant moment.

Read more.

Coming up

Three hours out from the quarter-finals kicking off.

Here's a reminder of what's on the menu for Fabulous Friday.

So let's get into it shall we?

'Uniting Moroccan people'

Morocco

Morocco

Regragui on the physical state of his players: "Yes they are tired and we have injures, but we aren't going to complain. You need everyone if you are going to go far. No matter who plays, we will give our best and not make excuses."

On the impact of Morocco's success: "People are identifying with us and we are uniting Moroccan people. That is more important than money and titles, but we are here to win games and go as far as we can in this tournament."

Workers start dismantling Qatar stadium

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We've still got more than a week left of this World Cup but one of the stadiums is already being dismantled.

The temporary Stadium 974 is in the Ras Abu Aboud area of Doha. The stadium was named after Qatar's 974 international dialling code.

It was primarily built using 974 repurposed shipping containers but The Financial Times reports that these containers will now be shipped to Uruguay.

Uruguay are hoping the proposed initiative to reduce the wasted derelict venues will help sway the votes and secure hosting rights for the tournament in 2030.

They are waging a joint bid with Argentina, Chile and Paraguay.

Get Involved - who will win the World Cup?

I don't think anyone can beat Brazil. They are such a close team and having fun out there and when you're having fun you play your best football in my opinion, and it's been awesome football so far. Too slick for anyone even Maguire!

Troy

Portugal v Argentina final would truly be something out of Hollywood! But I think logically it'll be Brazil v France with Brazil just edging it.

Ed

That can't happen Ed as France are going out tomorrow.