Ian Wright believes Argentina will target England hero Jude Bellingham in the World Cup semi-final, warning the 23-year-old could be provoked into a red card. England face defending champions Argentina in Atlanta on Wednesday night for a place in Sunday’s World Cup 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 England's last-16 win over co-hosts Mexico and repeated the feat to drag the Three Lions past Norway in the quarter-finals.
Wright's warning
Speaking on ITV after Spain's semi-final win over France, 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.'
Wright added: '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.'
The Arsenal legend and former England striker continued: '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.'
Neville on discipline
Ex-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 quest
England are bidding to reach their first World Cup final since lifting the trophy in 1966, while Argentina are aiming for back-to-back titles. Wednesday will be the first time Lionel Messi, arguably the best player of all time, faces England.
Pickford's warning
England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford urged his teammates not to focus solely on Messi. 'He has scored so many goals and contributed to so many over his career,' the Everton goalkeeper 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.'
