Tribal Football

Emiliano Martinez looking forward to Aston Villa reunion in England battle

Argentina No.1 Emiliano Martinez.
Argentina No.1 Emiliano Martinez.Reuters

There will be familiar faces on both sides as England take on Argentina in the 2026 FIFA World Cup semi-finals on July 15.

England are pushing to end their 60-year wait for a World Cup crown as Argentina fight to hold onto the trophy they won in Qatar n 2022.

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Both sides have been forced to battle through the knockout stages to reach the semis, with extra time need in both quarterfinals, with England showing their grit and Argentina digging into their title-winning nous.

There can only be one winner in the Atlanta showdown and both sets of players are very familiar to each other with huge Premier League connections.

Argentina have named an unchanged starting line up in their last two games - and could stick with that against England - with five starters all plying their club trade in the English top-flight alongside former Manchester City striker Julian Alvarez.

Alvarez netted his first goal of the tournament with a wonder strike against Switzerland, and he's looking forward to clashing with England, as teammate Emiliano Martinez prepares to face several of his Aston Villa pals.

"England are a very strong team with some great players and lots of quality and depth," Alvarez said after the Switzerland win.

"But we will prepare ourselves to play a great game and reach the final.

"England have a deep squad. I know them very well and it's going to be nice to play against some of my (Villa) teammates," Martinez added.

Villa defender Ezri Konsa has started all six of England's games at the World Cup so far, with one start and four substitute appearances for Morgan Rogers, but Ollie Watkins has played just six minutes off the bench

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