England vs. Argentina: 'We are going to the World Cup final' — England legends send bold messages to Argentina

England versus Argentina was always going to generate noise before a ball was kicked. A World Cup semi-final between the two nations carries weight that no other fixture quite matches, and with three England legends stepping into the spotlight in the days before Wednesday's clash in Atlanta, the temperature was always going to rise.

John Terry, Gary Neville and Joe Cole have made no attempt to play down confidence in Thomas Tuchel's side, and their comments will have registered loudly on the other side of the Atlantic.

A rivalry that was never just about football

Before examining what the three legends said, it is worth recalling what makes this fixture so uniquely charged.

England and Argentina's rivalry stretches well beyond the football pitch, fuelled in part by the Falklands War of 1982, a conflict fought between the two nations over the sovereignty of the South Atlantic islands. Four years later, sport and politics collided in one of the most dramatic encounters in World Cup history.

In the 1986 quarter-final, Diego Maradona produced two of the most famous goals the game has ever seen.

The first — the 'Hand of God' — saw him punch the ball past Peter Shilton with his left fist before celebrating with the world watching. Minutes later, he collected the ball in his own half, beat six England players and rolled the ball into the net for what was later voted the Goal of the Century. Argentina won 2-1 and went on to lift the trophy.

In 1998, Argentina eliminated England again on penalties in a match remembered above all for David Beckham's red card following a clash with Diego Simeone.

Four years later, England took their revenge, Beckham converting a penalty in a 1-0 group-stage victory in 2002. The two nations have not met at a World Cup since, until now, with a place in the final at stake.

Terry, Neville and Cole raise England's confidence

Former England captain Terry, speaking on the FIFA Podcast, dismissed any notion of inferiority ahead of the match.

'I am not worried with Argentina. I do not look at Argentina and think they are better than us. Man for man, we are better.'

He acknowledged Messi as a decisive factor while drawing a comparison with a former Chelsea teammate. 'He will be one of those players who turns up on the big occasions, and he certainly does that. I can only compare that to a Hazard at Chelsea. When you have someone like that, you always know you are in with a chance of coming back, whether you go 1-0 or 2-0 down.'

Neville focused his analysis on Argentina's central defensive partnership. The former full-back believes that Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martinez's combination of brilliance and vulnerability could be decisive against England's attack.

'I do not see how we do not score at least two goals,' he said. 'I call them the best-worst centre-back partnership in world football. They go from the sublime to the ridiculous. Between them they seem to give away a goal a game, then you watch them again and there they are, heading everything and winning every duel.'

Joe Cole went furthest of all, targeting Messi directly. Speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast, the former winger offered one of the most striking pre-match declarations of the tournament.

'We are going to put him to sleep. Yeah, 100%. I am saying it right now: we are going to reach the World Cup final. We have too much pace for Argentina's strengths, and we are going to beat them. I can feel it in my bones.

England, unbeaten in the tournament and with Jude Bellingham in the form of his career, arrive at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium with genuine belief.

Argentina, meanwhile, have shown they can find a way through regardless of the quality of the opposition. Wednesday's semi-final will settle the argument, on the pitch, at least.