England and Argentina face off for America's World Cup final ticket
England will be looking to reach the World Cup final for the first time in 60 years when they face world champions Lionel Messi's Argentina in the semi-finals in Atalanta on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Lionel Messi is aiming to win a second World Cup title in a row, but after his great efforts to help Argentina qualify for this round, and at the age of 39, the question remains: can he still inspire the Albiceleste to overcome England?
The No.10 star will occupy his usual position in depth on the right flank, with free movement towards the flank, and the responsibility of keeping an eye on him is likely to fall to Nico O'Reilly and Marc Guéhy.
England's defence, which has not always shown the required toughness during the 2026 World Cup, will face a tough test, with O'Reilly, a 21-year-old left-back and Manchester City activist, telling the BBC: "It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Messi is nearing the end of his career. For me personally, he is the best player who has ever set foot on a football field."
England player John Stones said: "Facing Argentina in the semi-final is one of the most exciting things for me, we all know what this team can offer, especially Messi.. We have a lot of respect for Messi, for what he has accomplished in his career, and for what he has done for his country."
England's glowing duo face a wobbly defence
England captain Harry Kane knows Argentina defender Cristian Romero well after playing alongside him at Tottenham.
Argentina will have to find a way to stop Kane, who shares England's top scorer in the tournament with Jude Bellingham with six goals each, but that task will not fall solely on Romero, given Kane's penchant for stepping back and building attacks.
Boca Juniors' Leandro Paredes, 32, is expected to be positioned in front of the backline, in the centre-back, at the base of the Argentine midfield, to keep an eye on the area where Kane and Bellingham could be very influential.
The Battle of the Center
Declan Rice is on his way to recovery and playing alongside Elliot Anderson in the middle of the field, and the duo, with the support of Bellingham, will be required to work hard against Argentina's projected plan based on a diamond-shaped midfield.
The defending champions Argentina settled on Paredes in the center of the midfield, with Rodrigo de Paul and Alexis Mac Allister on either side, while Ensu Fernandez played in front of them. The quartet have high physical effort and fighting spirit, but they do not lack technical quality. Liverpool's Mac Allister and Chelsea's Fernandes will face a number of players they know well.
"I think it's going to be a game that plays a lot of strength, and of course with a lot of tension on both sides," McAllister admitted.
Pickford vs. Martinez
Goalkeepers Jordan Pickford and Emiliano Martinez know each other well through the Premier League, and Pickford's highlight at the World Cup so far has been his heroic performance in the win over Mexico in the quarter-finals, when he blocked all the attacking attempts of the partnership country.
He was criticised for failing to prevent Andreas Sjelldrop's goal against Norway in the quarter-finals, but it was a special match for the 32-year-old Everton goalkeeper, making his 18th World Cup appearance, becoming the most capped English player in a world championship.
Martinez, the Aston Villa goalkeeper, was one of Argentina's star winners four years ago when he won the Golden Glove award for best goalkeeper, and while he is not an impregnable fortress, having conceded twice against both Cap Verde and Egypt in the knockout stages, the 33-year-old's experience and knowledge of English football is an important factor.
Scaloni vs. Tuchel
Lionel Scaloni has never coached a team at club level, but he has had an exceptional record since taking over as coach of Argentina in 2018, and he was criticized at the time, and was considered unfit for the position, but he led the Albiceleste to the World Cup title in 2022, and he also won the Copa America title twice in a row.
He is still on track to equalise the achievement of Italy's Vittorio Bozzo, the only coach to have won the World Cup twice.
Thomas Tuchel is the exact opposite, as he is one of the most prominent tactical coaches at the club level, and led Chelsea to the Champions League title in 2021, before being convinced to try out for England in late 2024.
Will the German coach, whose style of management was particularly remarkable, succeed in ending England's six-decade wait for a major championship?