England vs Argentina Predictions
England and Argentina renew their historic rivalry in Atlanta on Wednesday, with a place in the World Cup final at stake.
Both teams have looked a little vulnerable defensively, and that should rear its head again in a potentially thrilling semi-final.
BTTS is my best bet, while I also expect Wednesday’s showdown to go the distance.
BTTS Backed in Atlanta
- England have seen BTTS in 4 of their last 6 matches
- England have drawn 3 of their last 5 matches against Argentina
- Argentina have seen BTTS in their last 4 matches
England Hold H2H Advantage
England and Argentina have met on 14 previous occasions. England won six games, while Argentina picked up three victories. Five matches finished level.
England Dig Deep Again
England secured their place in Wednesday’s World Cup semi-final with a dramatic 2-1 extra-time victory against Norway.
Andreas Schjelderup put Norway ahead before Jude Bellingham scored twice to complete a scarcely deserved comeback win.
Bellingham’s first goal came via a deflection off the overhead camera cable, a remarkable slice of fortune that helped drag the Three Lions level.
The brilliant Real Madrid playmaker has been England’s standout performer in the knockout stages, also bagging a brace in the 3-2 round-of-16 win against Mexico.
Thomas Tuchel’s men have repeatedly demonstrated their resilience at this tournament. England survived with ten men against Mexico before coming from behind to defeat Norway in sweltering Miami conditions.
Despite failing to reach their best form, England have maintained an impressive record in the Americas. Tuchel’s Lions are unbeaten in 15 of their 16 matches over the past year.
Argentina Survive Another Scare
Argentina make the trip to Atlanta after coming through their quarter-final tie against Switzerland with a 3-1 extra-time victory.
Alexis Mac Allister opened the scoring before Dan Ndoye’s deserved leveller in the second half.
Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez then struck in extra time after Switzerland had been controversially reduced to ten men with the first-ever implementation of the “mistaken identity” law introduced at this competition.
Lionel Scaloni’s side have endured a demanding route through the knockout rounds. The defending champions needed extra time to beat Cape Verde 3-2 before recovering from two goals down to edge Egypt by the same scoreline.
While their mental strength remains undoubted, the Argentines' defensive capabilities have been less apparent. Scaloni’s men leaked six goals in their last four matches, failing to keep a clean sheet in each fixture.
The ageless Lionel Messi remains top dog in an ageing, but experienced Argentine side. The 39-year-old has scored eight goals and contributed to ten of Argentina’s 17 goals at this World Cup.
England vs Argentina Team News
England: (4-2-3-1) Jordan Pickford; Reece James, John Stones, Marc Guehi, Djed Spence; Declan Rice, Elliot Anderson; Bukayo Saka, Jude Bellingham, Anthony Gordon; Harry Kane
Head coach Thomas Tuchel has just two confirmed absentees as England bid to reach their first World Cup final since 1966. Jordan Henderson (wrist) and suspended defender Jarell Quansah are both unavailable.
Reece James and Bukayo Saka are pushing for recalls after making positive impacts as second-half substitutes against Norway.
Despite England's dramatic comeback victory, Tuchel was far from satisfied with the performance.
"The result is fantastic. We are in the last four, it's amazing. But I'm not happy with the performance. In every sense," the England boss said.
"We made life very, very difficult for ourselves in the way we played. We were sloppy, made a lot of technical mistakes, weren't fast enough or repetitive enough. We were lucky today."
Elsewhere, Djed Spence could replace Nico O’Reilly at left-back after impressing from the bench against Norway.
Argentina: (4-1-2-1-2) Emiliano Martinez; Nahuel Molina, Facundo Medina, Lisandro Martinez, Nicolas Tagliafico; Leandro Paredes; Rodrigo De Paul, Alexis Mac Allister; Enzo Fernandez; Julian Alvarez, Lionel Messi
Head coach Scaloni is unlikely to make changes from the side that edged past Switzerland. The Argentine boss has no reported injury issues.
Scaloni praised Argentina’s resilience after the quarter-final victory.
“We knew that we were going to suffer. This is part of our blood, part of our DNA, and that brings peace of mind,” Scaloni said after Argentina’s extra-time win over Switzerland.
After his stunning winner against the Swiss, Julian Alvarez should continue alongside Messi in the Argentine forward line.