England manager Thomas Tuchel named Declan Rice in his team for Wednesday's World Cup semi-final against Argentina after the midfielder recovered from illness, and made three changes to his starting line-up. Reece James plays at right-back, starting for the first time since the second group game against Ghana, while Djed Spence is preferred at left-back, where he will come up against Argentina captain Lionel Messi. Morgan Rogers of Aston Villa is named on the right wing, with Noni Madueke and Bukayo Saka both on the bench.
Madueke, Ezri Konsa and Nico O'Reilly are the three players to drop out of the line-up following England's 2-1 victory against Norway in the quarter-finals. This tactical shift aims to strengthen England's defense and attacking options as they face a formidable Argentina side.
Argentina made just one change following their 3-1 win against Switzerland. Rodrigo De Paul drops out, with Atletico Madrid's Giuliano Simeone replacing him. That means a likely 4-4-2 formation, with Simeone on the right and Alexis Mac Allister of Liverpool on the left side.
It is the sixth meeting of the nations at a World Cup, but the first since a 1-0 England win in Japan in the group stage in 2002. The winners will advance to Sunday's final at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, where they will play Spain, who beat France 2-0 on Tuesday. The losers will go to Miami for the third-place play-off against France on Saturday.
This semi-final clash is not just a battle for a place in the final but also a rematch of historical significance. England and Argentina have a storied rivalry in World Cup history, making this encounter highly anticipated by fans worldwide.
