ENGLAND have been handed a surprise weather forecast for Saturday – as it is set to RAIN.
A shower in Doha is forecast at midday on the day of the quarter-final against France but the conditions will be bone-dry when the match kick-offs at 10pm local time (7pm GMT).
It is also rained today but in the north of Qatar, 100 miles north of Doha, yet it was cloudy and 29C when England’s 22 players trained.
Doha gets about 1.2cm of rain each December – rising to – 2cm in both February and March.
Unsurprisingly, it does not rain at all in June, July, August and September.
Initially, England trained in temperatures of 30C-plus at around midday, to prepare them for the tournament.
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But since they started the group stages, Gareth Southgate switched to sessions to around 3pm when it has been slightly cooler although today it is humid.
The air-conditioned stadiums initially had a temperature of 22C but according to many of the players, it has felt slightly cooler due to the massive fans pitchside.
Now, as the evenings are slightly cooler, the air conditioning has been switched off.
Midfielder Declan Rice MISSED England’s latest training session ahead of their crunch clash against the 2018 world champions.
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The West Ham star sat out due to illness while Newcastle striker Callum Wilson was also absent due to a minor knock.
France’s strike sensation Kylian Mbappe also missed training, days out from the last eight match after complaining of a niggling ankle injury.
And though Didier Deschamps’ coaching staff insisted he was simply doing recovery work in the gym, his absence has sparked fears in the French camp that he could miss Saturday’s game against England.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
