Argentina - England... "The Grinder"

Atlanta - AFP - A new page will be written in one of the most famous World Cup rivalries in Atlanta, as England and Argentina meet for the sixth time in the global tournament, this time with a spot in the final of the 2026 World Cup in North America at stake.

England has not delivered a standout performance in this edition of the World Cup, but their fighting spirit was clearly evident in the knockout stages, most recently with a 2-1 extra-time victory over Norway in the quarter-finals.

While their German manager Thomas Tuchel and star Jude Bellingham offered contrasting assessments of the recent win, the English team has now reached the semi-finals of a major tournament for the fourth time since 2018, matching the total they had achieved in their entire history prior to that.

Tuchel is aiming to become the first foreign manager in 48 years to reach a World Cup final, while England has not advanced to this stage since winning their only title on home soil in 1966.

Argentina, the three-time champions with their most recent victory in the last edition in Qatar in 2022, have won all six of their matches in this tournament and their last 12 knockout games, but they had to exert considerable effort to navigate the knockout rounds.

Conversely, England has lost only three times in 14 meetings against Argentina (six wins, five draws), but both of their recent defeats came in the World Cup, specifically in 1986 in Mexico, when Diego Maradona scored two "historic" goals, and in 1998 in France via a penalty shootout.

England are relying on their stars, Real Madrid midfielder Bellingham and captain and top scorer Harry Kane of German club Bayern Munich. Thanks to them, England became the first team in World Cup history to have two players score six goals each in a single edition.

Meanwhile, Argentina captain Lionel Messi enters the semi-finals as the all-time top scorer (21 goals) and top assist provider (10) in World Cup finals history, with the notable fact that each of his 10 assists went to a different player.

England will continue without the services of their defender and Bayer Leverkusen player Jarrell Quansah, who is suspended for two matches after being sent off against Mexico in the round of 16, while there is doubt over the participation of Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice.

On the "Tango" side, the likelihood of midfielder Leandro Paredes and defender Cristian Romero missing the match against the English is not high, despite their absence due to injury against Switzerland.