England and Argentina meet in World Cup semifinal – living on the edge
England and Argentina will play a dramatic World Cup semifinal on Wednesday in Atlanta, with both teams having survived knockout matches by the skin of their teeth.
England face Argentina in the second World Cup semifinal on Wednesday at 19:00 GMT at Atlanta Stadium in Georgia, USA. The rivalry is steeped in history, from Maradona's 'Hand of God' in 1986 to Beckham's red card in 1998, plus the lingering Falkland Islands dispute. Both teams have made a habit of living on the edge in this tournament. England topped Group L, then needed a second-half comeback against DR Congo, a 3-2 win over Mexico, and extra time to beat Norway. Argentina won Group J, then squeezed past Cape Verde in extra time, came from two goals down against Egypt, and needed 120 minutes to beat Switzerland. Lionel Messi will face England for the first time in his 21-year career. He has scored eight goals so far and aims to become the first player since Cafu to play in three consecutive World Cup finals. "Getting to another semifinal is not normal, we should enjoy it," Messi said. England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford backed his team to stay calm: "We've been respected, we reset and let football do the talking." Opta's supercomputer gives England a 39.1% chance of winning in regulation, Argentina 31.6%, and a 29.3% chance of extra time. Referee Ismail Elfath (USA) will officiate. The winner faces either France or Spain in Sunday's final. England's Declan Rice is a doubt due to illness, while Argentina has no injuries. Predicted lineups: England – Pickford, Konsa, Stones, Guehi, O'Reilly, Rice, Anderson, Madueke, Bellingham, Gordon, Kane. Argentina – Martinez, Molina, Romero, Lisandro, Tagliafico, Paredes, De Paul, Fernandez, Mac Allister, Messi, Alvarez.
