Former England international Joe Cole has made a bold prediction ahead of the World Cup semi-final between England and Argentina, claiming the Three Lions will 'put Lionel Messi to bed'. Speaking on The Rest is Football podcast, Cole expressed unwavering confidence in England's ability to overcome the defending champions.
Cole's confident prediction
'We will have to put Lionel Messi to bed,' Cole said. 'We're going to put him to bed.' When fellow pundit Micah Richards suggested he couldn't say that, Cole doubled down: 'We are, 100 per cent. I'm saying it now, England are going to the World Cup final, we've got too much pace for Argentina and we're going to beat them, I feel it in my bones.'
England secured their place in the semi-finals with a 2-0 victory over Norway, courtesy of a brace from Jude Bellingham. Despite a lackluster performance, Thomas Tuchel's side advanced to their fourth World Cup semi-final and their first since 1966.
Argentina's path to the semi-finals
Argentina, the reigning world champions, reached the last four after a hard-fought 3-1 win over Switzerland in extra time. Alexis Mac Allister opened the scoring, but Dan Ndoye equalized for the Swiss. Argentina received a boost when Breel Embolo was sent off, and goals from Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez in extra time sealed the victory.
Lionel Messi failed to score for the first time in the tournament but remains joint top scorer with five goals, alongside France's Kylian Mbappe. England will be acutely aware of the threat posed by the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner, but Cole believes they can neutralize him.
McCoist's assessment
Not everyone shares Cole's optimism. Former Scotland striker Ally McCoist described England as the 'third-best team left in the tournament'. 'At this moment in time, England are the third-best team left in the tournament,' McCoist said. 'But the good news is you're playing a team that I think you're better than. I think England are better than Argentina.'
McCoist added: 'France look like the best team in the tournament but concentrate on the semi-final. Defensively, Argentina aren't great but going forward, we know Messi is capable of doing something out of nowhere and that's the thing you have to guard against. But what a game we've got to look forward to there.'
Other semi-final and tournament outlook
The other semi-final sees European champions Spain face 2022 World Cup finalists France. France have been the standout team of the tournament, defeating African champions Spain in the quarter-finals, while Spain edged out Belgium. The winners of the two semi-finals will meet in the final.
England's semi-final against Argentina is scheduled for Wednesday at the Atlanta Stadium, with a place in the World Cup final at stake.
