Who will England play after Senegal? Likely quarter final opponents if Three Lions beat Senegal in round of 16

Gareth Southgate’s England side are through to the last 16 after an impressive 3-0 victory against Wales in the Battle of Britain.

England secured a total of seven points from three games to comfortably finish top of Group B ahead of runners-up USA.

England secured top spot in the group stage for the first time since 2006 and attention will now turn to the round of 16 clash with African champions Senegal. Southgate’s side will enter the game as clear favourites to progress to the quarter-finals and have a variety of in form players to choose from in their starting lineup such as Marcus Rashford, Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka and Raheem Sterling.

However, Senegal will be keen to cause an upset and the West African side will be hoping to emulate their heroics from 2002 when they went all the way to the quarter-finals.

The Three Lions possess a hugely talented team filled with depth in all areas of the pitch and many fans are already mapping out England’s potential road to the World Cup final.

But which teams are England likely to come up against if they progress to the quarter-finals? Here is everything you need to know.

When is the World Cup quarter-final?

If England overcome Senegal in the round of 16 they will play in the quarter-final of the World Cup on Saturday 10 December.

The Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor would be the venue for the second successive round and the game would kick off at 7pm.

Who are England’s potential quarter-final opponents?

If England are to overcome Senegal in the round of 16 then they will be paired against a fellow European team in either France or Poland.

France’s game against Poland will take place just before the England game on Sunday 4 December. This means that England will find out their potential quarter-final opponents just moments before their game against Senegal.

What to expect from France

France are viewed as the overwhelming favourites to make it to the quarter-final stage of the World Cup.

Didier Deschamps side are the reigning world champions and were triumphant in Russia four years ago. France are blessed with an abundance of talent in all areas of the pitch and possess some of the best squad depth in all of the tournament.

Les Bleus have a frightening attacking combination of PSG star Kylian Mbappe, Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann and AC Milan striker Oliver Giroud.

France began the tournament in style with a comprehensive 4-1 victory over Australia and secured top spot in the group with an impressive 2-1 victory over Denmark. Descamps opted for widespread rotation in the team for the final game against Tunisia and fell to a shock 1-0 defeat.

Despite the poor result, France are expected to beat Poland in their upcoming game. France are aiming to become the first nation since Brazil in 1958 and 1962 to win back to back World Cups. Meanwhile Didier Deschamps is hoping to become only the second manager in history to win back to back World Cups - he is aiming to follow in the footsteps of legendary Italian coach Vittorio Pozzo who achieved the feat in 1934 and 1938.

What to expect from Poland

Poland will enter the game against France as clear underdogs and they are aiming to reach the quarter-final of the World Cup for the first time since 1982.

Poland are yet to find their best form in the World Cup but have still managed to successfully navigate their way out of Group C. Poland began the tournament with a 0-0 draw against Mexico with star man Robert Lewandowski missing a late penalty.

Czeslaw Michniewicz’s side followed that up with an unconvincing 2-0 win against Saudi Arabia. Poland kept just 36 percent possession during the game and managed just three shots on target throughout the game. Poland ended the group stage with a 2-0 defeat to Argentina and were second best throughout the match.

Poland progressed as runners-up of Group C but still possess a squad that is more than capable of troubling the reigning champions. Poland are spearheaded in attack by Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski - the 34-year-old is amongst the most clinical finishers in world football and is his countries record goalscorer with an impressive 77 goals. Arkadiusz Milik is also likely to offer an alternative option for Poland from the bench - the 28-year-old has struggled with injuries in recent years but enjoyed great success at Napoli earlier in his year.

Poland will need to be tough to break down to have any chance of progressing to the quarter-final - in defence they have Aston Villa right back Matty Cash, former Monaco centre back Kamil Gilk and Juventus goalkeeper Wojech Szczesny.