Manchester City full-back Kyle Walker reveals his mindset for the World Cup duel vs. Kylian Mbappe, France

Manchester City full-back Kyle Walker has confidence in what he will need to do to stop a “fantastic player” in Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe in the 2022 FIFA World Cup quarterfinal matchup between England and France.

Walker is set to have the task of containing Mbappe out on the flanks when England and France meet on Saturday. The veteran Manchester City defender is slated to earn the start out at the right-back position for England, while Mbappe is projected to once again take hold of the left-wing role for Les Bleus.

Walker has plenty of history with Mbappe, including their duels in the UEFA Champions League group stage last season. This time around, Walker well understands that it will not be an “easy task” to slow down the PSG forward.

“He is a fantastic player in great form,” Walker said during a pre-match press conference on Wednesday. “It’s not going to be an easy task, but is one professional footballer you want to play against the best and I think he is one of the best, if not the best, in the world at the moment.”

In the big picture, Walker has no plans to “roll out a red carpet” for the PSG star.

“The game is not England v. Mbappe, the game is England v. France,” Walker said. “We take respect that he is a good player in good form at the minute but I’m not going to roll out a red carpet for him and tell him to go and score. I am representing my country in the quarterfinal of a World Cup so it’s do or die really. If we lose, we go home. He is not going to stand in my way of hopefully winning a World Cup for my country.”

Mbappe heads into this matchup with five goals scored at the 2022 World Cup.

Tags 2022 World Cup Kyle Walker Kylian Mbappé Manchester City
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