Under the closed roof of the Atlanta Stadium on Wednesday night, England will attempt to reach their first men's World Cup final in 60 years – but standing in their way is an Argentina side Thomas Tuchel believes is “fuelled by history”.
The head coach acknowledged the extra layer the Falklands conflict adds to the fixture, which will be the sixth World Cup meeting between the nations. Argentina’s players were filmed chanting about “Las Malvinas” after their quarter-final win over Switzerland, pledging to win the title for “the Falklands, for Diego and for Leo’s last”.
“England face Argentina in World Cup semi-final; Tuchel says opponents 'fuelled by history'.”
“Of course, history … they are also fuelled by that,” Tuchel said. “It means a lot to them. So this is what we basically expect, and what we are up against. But we are also emotional, we have the grit, we have the mentality that it takes to go up against it. And we are ready for it.”
The fixture revives old ghosts: Diego Maradona’s “Hand of God” in 1986, David Beckham’s red card in 1998, and Beckham’s penalty revenge in 2002. England won the 1966 quarter-final 1-0 en route to lifting the trophy, their only World Cup triumph.
Tuchel also moved to dismiss any lingering issue with Jude Bellingham after criticising his team’s technical performance in the extra-time win over Norway. The manager made clear there was “no problem” with the midfielder.
Team news is mixed: Jarell Quansah remains suspended after his red card against Mexico, Jordan Henderson is definitely out, and Reece James is a major doubt. Argentina will have Cristian Romero and Leandro Paredes back after they were substituted with fatigue against Switzerland.
The match, which kicks off at 8pm BST on BBC One, is England’s biggest since 1966, according to BBC Sport’s Phil McNulty. The winner will face Spain, who beat France 2-0 in the other semi-final, in Sunday's final.
Tuchel’s pre-match briefing was moved to a bigger venue after standing room only – a sign of the global interest in a side that has lost two European Championship finals but now stands 90 minutes from immortality.