Ian Wright has warned that Argentina will 'target' Jude Bellingham in the World Cup semi-final, with the Arsenal legend expecting the defending champions to try to get the England star sent off. England face Argentina in Atlanta on Wednesday for a place in Sunday's final, with Spain awaiting the winner after beating France 2-0 in Dallas.
Bellingham's tournament form
Bellingham has been England's standout player in the United States, scoring six goals in six games – just two fewer than joint top scorers Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi. The Real Madrid midfielder scored twice in the last-16 win over co-hosts Mexico and repeated the feat to drag England past Norway in the quarter-finals.
Wright's warning
Speaking on ITV after Spain's semi-final win, Wright said: 'I think it's going to be the game that everyone expects it to be. It's going to be tough. It's a real rivalry, a deep rivalry. It's the kind of game that whether you're in front or behind you know there's going to be chaos.'
'It's also a game where we're going to have to show a lot of composure. It's going to be tough, a real tough one, an attritional war and we need to recognise that. I've heard Thomas Tuchel say it's just a game but it's not just a game and they'll realise that when the game starts tomorrow.'
Targeting Bellingham
'I think England can match them, we've got the physicality to match them. But obviously you want to make sure with someone like Jude Bellingham… because they will probably target Jude because he's our main guy and they will want him out of the match. But I do think we can deal with Argentina physically.'
Discipline concerns
Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville added: 'They need to keep their discipline. Obviously we've seen some bad examples of that over the past 20 years where players have lost discipline and that's cost us.'
England's World Cup history
England are bidding to reach their first World Cup final since lifting the trophy in 1966, while Argentina aim for back-to-back titles. Wednesday will be the first time Lionel Messi faces England, but goalkeeper Jordan Pickford warned against focusing solely on the Argentina legend.
'He has scored so many goals and contributed to so many over his career,' Pickford said. 'It's great to finally come up against him after so long, and watching him as a kid. We all know how good Messi is but we also know how good Argentina are. We can't solely rely on [stopping] Messi. We've got to focus on their other strengths and the weaknesses we can take advantage of.'
Underdogs in final?
Both England and Argentina will likely be underdogs in the final given Spain's impressive performance against France, who were favourites before their semi-final defeat.
