England face Argentina in the World Cup semi-final on Wednesday, with a chance to reach the final for the first time since winning the tournament in 1966. Pundits are divided on the outcome, but Gary Neville has backed the Three Lions to prevail.
England's path to the semi-final
Neither side has been at their best this summer. Argentina narrowly beat Cape Verde and Egypt in the rounds of 32 and 16, while England survived a scare against DR Congo and laboured past Norway in the quarter-final. This is the first competitive meeting between the two nations since the 2002 World Cup, when England won 1-0 in the group stage.
Neville's confidence
Speaking on The Overlap, Neville said: “England haven’t reached a World Cup since 1966, and this is an unbelievable chance to win the World Cup. It’s not a vintage Argentina, by any stretch – it’s not as good as the Argentina side from four years ago, but it’s still got danger, of course, because they’ve got Messi and an unbelievable spirit.”
Wright's view
Ian Wright also backed England, though he warned that a potential final against France or Spain would be a step too far. “If we get to a France or a Spain, I think the level goes to another place entirely. It’s going to be difficult – it’s the final, isn’t it? But I don’t fear Argentina like I’d fear France or Spain, because I think there are a lot of fallacies with them. I think we’ll beat Argentina – not just because I want us to, but because of the way they play and how narrow they are but our wingers need to do a lot more than what they have done. I think we’ll be able to block them and break.”
Keane's counter
Roy Keane disagreed, predicting Argentina would find a way to win. “Truthfully, I think they’ll come up short against Argentina. I think definitely against France. Spain might be different, get the job done [against Spain], but I think there’s too much there. I think Argentina would just find something in a tight game.”
England will face either France or Spain in the final if they beat Argentina.
