The one country Messi has never played: England, at last, in the semi-final

Thirteen straight wins, and four games of three goals

Argentina have won 13 matches in a row since last September. At this World Cup they have scored three in each of their last four games, 17 in total — their best World Cup haul is 18, set in 1930.

The route has not been smooth. They needed a recovery against World Cup debutants Cape Verde, then trailed Egypt 2-0 with 11 minutes left in the round of 16 and turned it around. Against Switzerland it went to extra time, with Julian Alvarez settling it against ten men. Lionel Scaloni's own verdict afterwards: luck was on our side.

Messi leads the scoring chart with eight, though he has also missed two penalties. Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez both scored in extra time on Saturday, and only one of them will start alongside him.

England have a right-back problem and a captain's record

Thomas Tuchel is missing Jarell Quansah, still suspended after his red card in Mexico City, and Jordan Henderson, who had wrist surgery after falling during the celebrations of that same win. Reece James is fit but may not be trusted from the start, so Djed Spence or Ezri Konsa fills in at right-back. Declan Rice, who played through illness against Norway, is available.

Harry Kane will win his 121st cap, passing Wayne Rooney as the most-capped outfield player in England's history. He has six goals here. So does Jude Bellingham, who scored twice at the Azteca and twice more against Norway in extra time. England have won four in a row and scored at least twice in each — and Tuchel still said publicly that he was not satisfied with the Norway performance.

The rivalry, and the roof

This is the sixth World Cup meeting between the two, and Argentina's sixth semi-final. They have never lost at this stage. England, meanwhile, have reached their fourth major semi-final since 2018 and have not played in a World Cup final since 1966. Across all meetings the head-to-head favours England: two defeats in 14, the last win coming in November 2005 through Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney.

The venue removes one variable. The Mercedes-Benz Stadium's roof will be closed and the air conditioning on, so the thundery showers forecast for Atlanta will not touch the match. After a tournament in which heat and rain decided how teams could press, both sides get to play the game they actually want to play.

Scaloni was asked about the political history between the countries and did not take it. "Look, this is a football game," he said. "That's what I can say. It is a football game and we will be playing against a very tough opponent."

The referee who took charge of Japan vs Netherlands

FIFA appointed the officials on July 13: Ismail Elfath in the middle, with Corey Parker and Kyle Atkins on the lines. All three are American, and no all-U.S. crew has ever refereed a men's World Cup semi-final before.

The trio have worked three matches at this tournament already. One of them was Japan vs Netherlands in the group stage, in Dallas. The others were Spain vs Uruguay and the round-of-16 tie between Norway and Brazil. Elfath was born in Morocco, moved to the United States in 2001 and has refereed in MLS since 2012. In Qatar in 2022 he was the fourth official for the final Argentina won.

Yellow cards are wiped before the semi-finals, so neither side can be suspended for the final by accumulation — only by a red card here. England, though, are still without Jarell Quansah: this is the second and last match of the ban he picked up for his sending-off against Mexico.

What to watch

Who partners Messi — Alvarez or Lautaro. Whether Tuchel picks Spence or keeps Konsa at right-back, because Argentina will look there. Whether England's defence, which has leaked in every knockout round so far, can go 90 minutes without giving Messi a clean sight of goal. And the Golden Boot: Messi has eight, Kane and Bellingham six each. Kylian Mbappe, also on eight, drew a blank as France lost 2-0 to Spain on July 14, so he stays on eight. It is Spain who go through, and they will meet the winner of this semi-final in the final on July 19.