In the podcast "The Good, The Bat & The Football", England football legend Paul Scholes predicted that the World Cup semi-final between England and Argentina would descend into complete "chaos" and the match could "get out of control".
The second World Cup semi-final will be held at 3:00 AM Beijing time on Thursday, July 16th, with England facing defending champions Argentina. The first semi-final will take place early Wednesday morning, with France playing against Spain.
The Three Lions' journey in this World Cup has been full of drama. Their performance in the first match against Croatia was impressive, but their performances in the subsequent matches against Ghana and Panama were less than satisfactory.
Thomas Tuchel's team was pushed to the brink in the first round of the knockout stage but ultimately rallied to defeat the Democratic Republic of Congo. They then put on a heroic performance at the iconic Aztec Stadium, defeating the host nation, Mexico.
In the cautious quarter-final match against Norway, the two sides were evenly matched at one point. At the crucial moment, Bellingham stepped up again and scored twice, helping the 1966 World Cup champions advance to the semi-finals of this World Cup.
Argentina displayed the prowess of a top team in the group stage, securing first place in Group J with a perfect record. However, the defending champions faced numerous close calls in the knockout stage.
They were first dragged into extra time by the weak Cape Verde team, and then came back from a 0-2 deficit to defeat Egypt.
Although Argentina defeated Switzerland 3-1 in the quarterfinals, the score only reflected half of the game. Switzerland actually took the initiative in the first half, and the situation only reversed after a player was sent off in the second half.
Scholes has not been particularly impressed with the previous performances of England and Argentina, but he is more optimistic about Tuchel's squad than the defending champions under Lionel Scaloni.
The Manchester United legend believes the semi-final was a close contest, but he supports England's narrow victory over Argentina in this seven-goal battle.
However, Scholes also stated that the World Cup trophy may still elude the Three Lions. He believes that if both England and France reach Sunday's final, England will likely struggle to defeat the title favorites.
“I think England and Argentina had very similar paths to the final,” Scholes said on The Good, The Bat & The Football podcast. “I don’t think either team played particularly well, but they both made it through one hurdle after another.”
"I think Argentina's biggest advantage is that they have experience winning championships and know how to win key battles in major international tournaments. We still need to prove that."
"This match will be extremely heated and completely chaotic. The score could be 4-3, and regardless of which team wins, there will likely be yellow and red cards on the field. If Argentina loses, there will definitely be a conflict between them, absolutely. And if we lose to them, it will be a very unpleasant experience."
"I think we can beat Argentina and Spain, but I'm not confident we can beat France. So I hope Spain can beat France."
"This semi-final is a 50/50 affair, it all comes down to luck. Argentina might be slightly favored just because of their experience, but I prefer our lineup, even if you include Messi."
"I predict England will win 4-3. This game will be chaotic – there will be red cards and all that, and the game will be completely out of control."
