World Cup scouting report: the lowdown on England’s semi-final opponents Argentina

England’s World Cup semi-final opponents and who they may face in final

The most exclusive thing about England’s face-off with Argentina

Lionel Messi – perhaps the greatest footballer of all time – has done lots of things. He’s Argentina’s youngest and oldest goal scorer; he holds the record for World Cup goals; and he’s won the Ballon d’Or more than anyone else, a record eight times. But he’s never played against England. That’s all about to change as Argentina face off with England in the semi-final on Wednesday 15 July. To hear our full predictions for this uber-historic match, listen to the full episode of Copa Independent on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or watch on YouTube.

Memberships, Transfer Targets and Argentina in the semis

Stephen Goldsmith and Richard Easterbrook bring you another close season chat as they discuss the new Sunderland AFC membership tier and what it could mean for supporters

World Cup scouting report: the lowdown on England’s semi-final opponents Argentina

Defending champions will pose a threat with Messi’s genius but their lack of width and energy in the midfield offers encouragement for Thomas Tuchel Switzerland knew how to deal with Lionel Messi. They congested the centre of the pitch and made it impossible for him to find angles for threaded passes or rapier finishes. One of Messi’s trademark moves, when the tempo has slowed, is to go through the gears with a quick bounce pass off one of his t…