I would definitely prefer to play Argentina rather than Switzerland and I think Thomas Tuchel and the England players will be delighted too – they will think they can get to Argentina.
Over large areas, Argentina looked vulnerable. Nahuel Molina, who started at right-back, had a tough time with Dan Ndoye, who eventually scored the goal.
Molina was eventually hooked, but whether he or Gonzalo Montiel starts against England, they will have their hands full with Anthony Gordon.
Likewise, whether it’s Noni Madueke or Bukayo Saka on the right, I think they will get the better of Argentina left-back Nicolas Tagliafico in one-on-ones as well.
And in the center of defense, Lisandro Martinez made mistake after mistake in this tournament. There’s another Rick in him, I’m sure of it.
Argentina’s mindset is that they overload the middle of the pitch and play very narrow, then try to tackle Messi with the ball and hope he can make something happen.
I know it’s easy to say, ‘You stop Messi, you stop Argentina’, but watching them, it was literally true. As well as Messi, they are hoping Julián Alvarez will strike from 25 yards rather than play through the teams.
Alvarez usually plays in midfield, but against Switzerland he played a little differently and was the one who tried to stretch their defensive line. If he didn’t do it, then no one else did.
Messi, of course, is not going to make such attempts, and he did remain silent for a long time against the Swiss, but when they were reduced to 10 men, he began to test and look more dangerous.
If Declan Rice is ready, it will be his job to deal with him. The Swiss realized that they couldn’t give an inch to Messi, and Granit Xhaka handled it brilliantly.
Messi will still be dangerous, but he’s 39 now, and as long as Tuchel has a plan to stop him going into space, I think England will have enough quality elsewhere to win.
Look, this will be a brilliant draw, given all the history between the two countries at the World Cup, with Diego Maradona’s handball and David Beckham’s red card.
Previous meetings have been quite daring, and I expect the same here.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see some antics from the Argentine players because they love that side of the game. They will be happy if the game turns into one where things get a little wild and the England players can lose their heads.
But if they can keep their cool, I expect England to win comfortably, and my other prediction is that Argentina will finish the game with nine men.
Messi has never played against England and may leave his mark, but England now have their own superstar in Jude Bellingham.
His first goal against Norway was sensational thanks to his strength, poise and finishing. He’s absolutely flying at the moment, and if it comes down to one player deciding the outcome of the game, it will most likely be him.
Sutton’s forecast: 3-1
AI Forecast: 1-2