2022 World Cup Daily Watch Guide: Dec. 4, France vs. Poland, England vs. Senegal

The U.S. men's national team may have bowed out of the 2022 FIFA World Cup on Saturday, but the knockout phase rolls on with two more win-or-go-home matches in the round of 16 on Sunday.

It begins with defending World Cup champions France facing off against Poland. A couple of hours later, England and Senegal will meet to battle for a ticket to the quarterfinals.

The winner of both games will face each other next weekend. France and England are the favorites to advance but don't write off the hard-working Polish team and the African Cup champions Senegal, as either is capable of pulling off the upset.

The two games 

• France vs. Poland, 7 a.m. PT / 9 a.m. CT / 10 a.m. ET (Al Thumama Stadium, Doha)
• England vs. Senegal, 11 a.m PT / 1 p.m CT / 2 p.m. ET  (Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor)

How to watch

• Both matches will be televised on FS1 in English and Telemundo in Spanish and streamed on Peacock, the Fox Sports app, and the Telemundo Deportes app
• 4K replays of the games will be available on Tubi

What the oddsmakers say

• France -375, Poland +1110, Tie through 90 minutes +475
• England -190, Senegal +575, Tie through 90 minutes +290

(odds courtesy of BetMGM)

Narratives we’ll be watching for

France won Group D and was one of the best-performing teams in the group stage. The defending World Cup champions routed Australia 4-1 and defeated top-10 FIFA-ranked Denmark by a 2-1 scoreline. With a spot in the next round clinched, Les Bleus faced their final match of the group stage with several reserve players in the starting XI and lost 1-0 to Tunisia.

With the starters well-rested for the game against Poland, it's expected for France to dominate the ball possession and create most of the scoring chances. Even without the likes of Ballon d'Or winner Karim Benzema, N'Golo Kante, and Paul Pogba, players like Andre Rabiot and Olivier Giroud have stepped up. Giroud, a 36-year-old veteran, scored a brace against Australia and is only one goal away from becoming France's all-time leading goal-scorer (51 goals), a record he currently shares with Thierry Henry. In the last five World Cup editions where they qualified for the knockout stage, France has advanced past the Round of 16 every single time and will look to make it six consecutive appearances in the quarterfinal stages.

Kylian Mbappe scored a brace of his own against Denmark in the second game of the group stage and is considered one of the best players in the world. If given space by the Poland defenders, the 23-year-old winger could have another top-notch performance with his exceptional speed and dribbling abilities.

Considered one of the best strikers of all time, Robert Lewandowski has been blessed to play in clubs that provide him the service he needs in the final third. Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, and now FC Barcelona have surrounded him with elite playmakers. Unfortunately for his national team, Lewandowski has lacked service from his teammates in this World Cup.

Lewandowski was held without a shot on target in two of three group-stage games and even had a penalty kick saved by Mexico's Guillermo Ochoa. Although Lewandowski scored a goal against Saudi Arabia, his lone contribution came from a defensive mistake from the opponent and not from an offensive buildup from his own team. The connection between Lewandowski and his teammates has not been there this tournament, but the Polish are hopeful they can turn things around on Sunday against the French.

Poland goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny has been fantastic for his national team during this World Cup. If it weren't for his numerous saves against Argentina, including a penalty save against Lionel Messi, Poland would be on the plane back home right now. If the Polish want any chance of advancing to the quarterfinals, they may have to rely on another world-class performance from their goalkeeper and extend this game as long as they can. If Poland can get this game into extra time or even penalty kicks, Szczęsny's shot-stopping may come in handy. 

England was one of the highest-scoring teams in the group stage with nine goals. To the surprise of many, none of those goals were scored by captain Harry Kane, who is only two goals away from tying Wayne Rooney for England's all-time scoring record. However, Kane did register three assists during the group stage, and given his involvement in the attack, it's only a matter of time before England's No. 9 gets on the scoresheet. 

Going up against Senegal for the first time ever, history is on England's side, as the European giants are undefeated in 20 matches against African nations in the World Cup. With so much diversity in attack, anyone from Marcus Rashford, Phil Foden, or Jack Grealish can be the difference maker for England.

Senegal's hard-fought 2-1 victory over Ecuador in the final group-stage match allowed them to finish second in Group A. A set-piece goal from captain Kalidou Koulibaly in the second half was enough for the African Cup of Nations champions to advance to the Round of 16.

An experienced group of players who know what it's like to play under pressure, Senegal can pull off the upset if they can stay organized and remain calm even if England scores first. The African side is already without their leader on the field Sadio Mane due to injury, and they could potentially be without their head coach on Sunday due to illness. It would be a major loss for Senegal, as Aliou Cisse's presence from the sidelines has been a key contributor to Senegal's success.

What happened Saturday?

To the disappointment of many, there were no recorded upsets in the first two quarterfinal matches.

The Netherlands, led by experienced head coach Louis Van Gaal, defeated a young USMNT by a 3-1 scoreline with a convincing performance and the Oranje's most solid tournament showing yet. Up 2-0 at halftime, Van Gaal's elite game management never truly allowed the U.S back in the game. Although substitute Haji Wright scored a goal that temporarily brought hope to American fans, Denzel Dumfries quickly evaporated any chance of a comeback just five minutes later.

Cody Gakpo had been the revelation for the Netherlands in the group stage with three goals, but in the knockout stage, it was star player Memphis Depay and veteran defender Daley Blind with the first two goals against the U.S. 

The Americans continued their stretch of great starts to games but Christian Pulisic missed a clear goal-scoring opportunity in the first few minutes of the game. That miss would later come back to haunt the USMNT. Defensively, the U.S. was generally solid in the group stage and did not give up too many scoring chances. Against the Netherlands, three moments of lack of focus opened the door for the Netherlands to capitalize and efficiently knock the USMNT out of the tournament. 

In the second match of the day, Argentina took care of business in a 2-1 win against Australia. Lionel Messi scored in the knockout stage of the World Cup for the first time in his career to give his country a 1-0 lead heading into halftime. In the second half, Manchester City forward Julian Alvarez continued his strong play and doubled the lead for Argentina after a costly giveaway from Australia's goalkeeper.

The Socceroos fought back until the end through set pieces and their quick transition game, and were rewarded with a goal in the 76th minute after a shot from Craig Goodwin deflected off Argentina's Enzo Fernandez for the own goal. Australia had a couple more chances to equalize in the final minutes but the Argentines defended well and came away with the victory.

As a result, Argentina will face the Netherlands in the quarterfinals stage next Friday.