England boss Thomas Tuchel accepts it will be difficult to keep a cool head in the cauldron of tonights World Cup semi-final against Argentina. The two old rivals clash in Atlanta (kick-off 8pm) for the right to face Spain in Sundays final.The political and sporting history between the countries mean there is an extra edge to what would already be an intense occasion and Tuchel concedes emotions will be running high at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.Asked if calm heads will be the order of the day, the German told BBC Radio 5 Live: If possible, but I think its a lot to ask. I am not so sure you see a lot of calm heads, me included.That would be ideal to play with a calm head and a hot heart. I think it will be emotional, anything else would really surprise me and its just what both teams bring to the table. They are emotional and a very supportive group within themselves.We are also very competitive, if they have the edge, we have the edge. We are proven in several battles now through this tournament. This is of course a big one and we are up for it.Table of ContentsIt will be an emotional game England boss TuchelEngland have weapons to hurt Messi and ArgentinaIt will be an emotional game England boss TuchelNeither England nor Argentina have made smooth progress to the last four, the Three Lions requiring extra time to see off Norway on Saturday, as did Argentina against 10-man Switzerland.Heat, humidity and altitude wont be a problem tonight, though, with the game being played indoors.I expect an emotional game. I expect a physical game. The conditions will be brilliant, so we will try and make it, accept the physicality of it and that is basically it, added Tuchel.We will be asked a lot of questions, they are a complete team, with many years together with a coach. They have the experience of several tournaments together; you can see that.Like I said, I think we can match the intensity, maybe even put our intensity on top of them. Then it will be a match of moments and momentums.England have weapons to hurt Messi and ArgentinaEngland have been carried to this stage by the brilliance of Jude Bellingham and, to a slightly lesser extent Harry Kane, while defending champions Argentina have eight-time Ballon dOr winner Lionel Messi.Tuchel said: I expect several momentum swings to be honest. They are very strong in possession, very strong in the last third, with a lot of players inside and of course Messi who finds solutions when no one else finds them, but we also have our weapons to hurt them.So, we need to dig in, we need to stay focused and we need a complete performance over the whole 90 plus minutes. Topics Argentina National Football Team England National Football Team Lionel Messi Add us as a preferred source on Google If you enjoy reading this article, you can help support our independent football journalism by adding 101 Great Goals as a preferred source You Should Also Read England v Argentina: Expected line-ups, stats and where to watch World Cup semi-final between arch-rivals Jon Fisher 15th July, 2026 Lionel Messi: How England can stop the Argentina genius at the World Cup 2026 Ben Miller 15th July, 2026 Lionel Messi: Every England players record vs Argentina and World Cup icon including three wins out of five for defenders Ben Miller 14th July, 2026 Kane claims Englands World Cup semi-final as big as it gets ahead of Argentina showdown Mitch Fretton 14th July, 2026 Diego Maradonas son says England clash is not a normal game and urges Argentina fans to remember those killed in the Falklands Jon Fisher 14th July, 2026 England v Argentina: Appointment of Elfath as referee for World Cup semi-final unlikely to please Three Lions camp Jon Fisher 14th July, 2026
