Why Lionel Messi and Argentina will be "more scared" of England in World Cup 2026 semi-final

England will be less afraid of Argentina than Argentina will be of England during Wednesday's World Cup 2026 semi-final, Manchester United legend Gary Pallister has exclusively told Sports Mole.

La Albiceleste and the Three Lions will renew a fascinating international rivalry at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Wednesday evening, with a coveted place in the World Cup final against either France or Spain on the line.

However, neither England nor Argentina have been entirely convincing in the knockout phase, as the Three Lions only overcame all of DR Congo, Mexico and Norway by one goal.

Meanwhile, the reigning champions needed extra time to get past Switzerland and Cape Verde and struggled for the killer end product against the former in the quarter-finals before Breel Embolo's second yellow card for simulation.

In Pallister's view, Golden Boot-chasing Lionel Messi is also not the player of yesteryear, and the Red Devils icon "fully expects" Thomas Tuchel's side to march on to the World Cup final.

Gary Pallister "fully expects" England to beat Argentina in World Cup semi-final

© Iconsport / Alamy/SPP/Azzuu

"I never expected Argentina to get beaten, but Switzerland did play really well until they went down to 10 men," Pallister said. "I just don’t think this is an Argentina team that England should be afraid of. They’ll be more scared of us that we’ll be of them.

"I love Lionel Messi and in my eyes he is the greatest footballer I have ever seen, but I don’t think he’s the same player he was 10 years ago when he was winning league titles and Champions Leagues with Barcelona.

"England still have to keep an eye on him because he is their leader and their go-to player, but on paper England have more strength than Argentina across the pitch. We can’t forget they won the last World Cup, which is an experience they can fall back on if they need a boost of confidence. That said, I still think England are the better team.

"The heat in the US was always going to be a deciding factor and it was one of the reasons as to why I didn’t think England would win the World Cup. I thought it would be easier for the southern hemisphere teams to cope with. However, they have dealt with it well and produced results in difficult conditions. They’ve answered that question.

"I still think England are second or third favourites to France and Spain. One of them has to go out in the semi-final and if we make it to the final then anything can happen. When you have big-game players like Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane in your team then anything is possible. I fully expect England to get past Argentina, and I’m starting to believe that they can go all the way."

Where England don't have "more strength" than Argentina

© Iconsport / DeFodi Images

From a purely physical standpoint, England have the clear upper hand over Argentina, who with an average height of 5ft 10n are far from the most intimidating team at the World Cup.

Meanwhile, the Three Lions boast an average height of 6ft and have a couple of notable physical specimens in their ranks, from the 2-metre Dan Burn to the 6ft 4in Nico O'Reilly.

However, when it comes to putting the goal in the back of the net, Argentina have proven superior from a collective standpoint, as eight different Albiceleste players have scored at least one World Cup 2026 goal so far.

Messi leads the way with eight, while Lautaro Martinez boasts two and Alexis Mac Allister, Julian Alvarez, Enzo Fernandez, Cristian Romero, Giovani Lo Celso and Lisandro Martinez have one each.

Meanwhile, only Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford have scored World Cup goals for England this year, and a lack of contributions from elsewhere could prove costly if the former two are shackled.

Gary Pallister was speaking to Sports Mole on behalf of NetBet Sport.