France captain Hugo Lloris said England are “ready” to compete for major international trophies under manager Gareth Southgate.
They will face each other on Saturday for a place in the World Cup semifinals and have not met at a major tournament since they drew in the group stage of Euro 2012.
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France won the World Cup with a stellar run in Russia four years ago but Lloris said it was the England squad that has more tournament experience than the reigning champions.
“If we compare both sides, there were more English players here who were at the World Cup in Russia than France players,” Lloris told a news conference on Friday.
“England reached the semifinals at the last World Cup and were runners-up at the Euros, there’s been a real progression. This team is ready to compete for trophies. They were unlucky at the last Euros, they were close, but they’re here to win.
