England v Argentina LIVE: Latest World Cup updates and Declan Rice fitness latest with Thomas Tuchel set for press conference

On the latest episode of Copa Independent, Lawrence Ostlere is joined by Miguel Delaney in Atlanta and Kieran Jackson to preview the World Cup semi-finals: England v Argentina and Spain v France, a last four featuring the top four ranked teams and four previous winners.

England’s win over Norway is assessed through the Miami heat, Jude Bellingham’s form and Golden Boot push, Harry Kane’s fatigue, Declan Rice’s fitness, Tuchel’s substitutions, and the Tuchel–Bellingham media flashpoint.

They also explore the deep history and political context of England–Argentina, Messi facing England for the first time, and the tactical contrast of Spain’s positional play against France’s attacking freedom, plus how rest days and VAR could shape the run-in.

Ihave the uncomfortable feeling that many otherwise patriotic British people – perhaps rather too many of them – would happily trade the Falkland Islands in a heartbeat for a place for England in the final of the World Cup.

Obviously, as a devoutly cakeist nation, we’d rather that we beat the Argentinians fair and square on the pitch, as we once did in the South Atlantic.

But, if faced with the choice of ending 60 years of hurt or coming to a sensible sovereignty-sharing arrangement with Buenos Aires to resolve a long-running colonial dispute, well… who wouldn’t prefer to see Jude Bellingham, Harry Kane, Jordan Pickford and the lads lifting the gleaming Jules Rimet trophy? All this – and a bank holiday, too.

A big boost ahead of tomorrow’s clash.

England are into the World Cup semi-finals – but how do they stack up among the rest of the remaining four nations?

We started at 48, and we’re down to a quartet of big hitters. Here are our semi-final power rankings:

For the first time in his career, Lionel Messi will take on England. What makes him so good? Miguel Delaney goes inside the mind of Argentina’s genius.

England defender Nico O’Reilly is backing himself to come through the “once-in-a-lifetime” task of marking Lionel Messi and turning his dream of winning the World Cup into reality.

“I can’t wait,” O’Reilly told BBC Radio 5 Live. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

“He’s coming towards the end of his career. For me personally, he’s the best player to ever touch a football pitch. And yeah, I can’t wait for the challenge.”

He added on talkSPORT: “I know there’s a bit of history there, and I know they’re going to be fired up for it. So I think we just match their energy, match their passion, and go even harder.

“But yeah, of course, they have some great players. They’ve got Messi, in my opinion, he’s been the best player in world football. I can’t wait to play against him.

“A big challenge, big task, but I believe in myself, and yeah, we’ll see what happens. I guess we’ll see on Wednesday.”

The build-up is underway to the first semi-final as Spain and France battle for a place in football’s biggest game. You can follow LIVE coverage from Dallas here:

Reece James came on for Declan Rice in the Norway quarter-final, initially in midfield before shifting to right-back. Thomas Tuchel will surely consider starting the Chelsea defender as he looks to combat Argentina’s dynamic forward line – and James has declared himself ready to go.