Argentina vs England semi-final: Cole and Terry fire up the rivalry

England await in the semi-final

Argentina face England in the World Cup semi-final (1). The winner goes to the final. France and Spain meet in the other semi (3). Your team is two wins from defending the crown.

Joe Cole: 'We'll put Messi to sleep'

That is the line that lit the fuse. Former England midfielder Joe Cole said it publicly ahead of Wednesday: "Vamos a mandar a dormir a Messi" (5) (7). It has gone straight through the Argentina camp. English press are running the quote hard. The rivalry is already boiling.

John Terry: England are better than Argentina

Former England captain John Terry piled on. He compared Jude Bellingham to Zinedine Zidane and claimed the Three Lions are better than your team (8). Two ex-England internationals talking before a ball is kicked.

Messi leads Mbappé in the all-time scoring race

Lionel Messi has 21 World Cup goals. Kylian Mbappé has 20. Both are still alive in the semi-finals (4). Miroslav Klose's record of 16 has already been buried by both of them. Messi can put daylight between himself and Mbappé against England.

The Premier League connections run deep

Argentina and England players share club dressing rooms across the Premier League: Julián Alvarez, Alexis Mac Allister, and others face teammates who know their every move (6). No secrets on either side.

The scouting view from England

The Guardian ran a detailed scouting report on Argentina ahead of the semi. It highlights your team's resilience under Scaloni but flags vulnerabilities England will try to exploit through Bellingham's runs from deep (2). Switzerland's Gregor Kobel gets a mention as a comparison point for Argentina's defensive structure (2).

Blue away kit decision due Tuesday

Argentina have asked FIFA for permission to wear the blue away shirt against England. A final ruling is expected Tuesday, the day before the semi-final.

Fan reactions

The World Cup subreddit is split. Argentina supporters are riding high after reaching the last four, but plenty of England fans believe this is their year after a strong quarter-final performance. One Argentina fan put it plainly: having the top four ranked teams still in the tournament is exactly what a World Cup semi-final should feel like. The match thread is already brewing.