A psychic lion has predicted that England will lose to France in the World Cup quarter-final in Qatar on Saturday night.

The nine-year-old male lion named 'Chao Boy' has a success rate of between 80 and 90 per cent in picking the winners in football games, according to zookeepers in Khon Khaen, Thailand.

He chooses the winners by grabbing chicken drumsticks hanging under the national flags of the two countries competing in the match.

When the St George's Cross and French tricolor were rolled out, the big cat pondered each emblem while prowling underneath them - only to leap up and grab the Gallic banner.

Chao Boy also chose Argentina over Holland, Brazil to beat Croatia and Morocco to knock out Portugal.

Zoo boss Narongwit Chodchoy said: 'These exercises and fun and they help the lion with his exercise.

'Chao Boy has always been considered a favorite in predicting football results. Whether it's the World Cup, Euros, or other major football matches, he can predict accurately with 80 or 90 per cent of his guesses being correct.'

England play France at the Al Bayt Stadium in the city of Al Khor with a kick-off time of 10pm.