England international goalkeeper Jordan Pickford is preparing for a new and different challenge when he clashes with Argentina led by Lionel Messi in the World Cup semi-final on Wednesday. He has previously faced penalty shootouts, semi-final matches, and competed against the biggest stars in football, but this time carries a historic tone by facing the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner. Pickford broke Peter Shilton's record for most appearances with the national team in the World Cup when he played his 18th match as a starter against Norway in the quarter-final. The 32-year-old goalkeeper was eight years old when England last met Argentina in the group stage of the 2002 World Cup. Pickford told reporters on Monday: 'I remember sitting on the floor at school watching the match when the teacher brought in the TV, so I will never forget that moment.' He added about Messi (39): 'He has scored and contributed to many goals throughout his career, and it's great to finally face him after all this time, especially since I watched him as a child.' But he warned against considering Argentina a one-man team, saying: 'We all know how brilliant Messi is, but we also know how strong Argentina is. We have our own vision of their other strengths as well, and their weaknesses that we can exploit.' Pickford confirmed that cohesion is the team's hallmark under Thomas Tuchel, and said: 'I've always said that cohesion is what leads you to success. Then skill also appears. And when you have cohesion as we do, it's a great tool.' He also stressed that England will not get caught up in refereeing controversies about Argentina, adding: 'Throughout the tournament, you've seen our desire to win titles. We haven't been involved in any fights or anything like that, but we have had great respect on the pitch. Decisions go in our favor sometimes, not always. We just reset ourselves and let football speak for itself.' He added: 'Except for Jarrell Quansah, we haven't had any suspensions or anything like that. This shows the mentality we have, we don't get distracted by such things. We stay focused and united.' Despite the win over Norway, Tuchel indicated the need for improvement, and Pickford agreed: 'As the coach said, we have the mentality and cohesion, but we haven't reached our best form. We hope to show our best. And we will always work harder to continue improving.' Pickford was England's goalkeeper in the penalty shootout against Colombia at the 2018 World Cup, and saved Carlos Bacca's shot before Eric Dier scored the decisive penalty for England's first penalty shootout victory.

This anticipated clash between England and Argentina in the semi-final comes after an exciting journey for both teams in the tournament.

Confidence seems to prevail in the England squad thanks to their collective cohesion, while Argentina relies on Messi's experience. It will be a real test of Tuchel's ability to improve performance before the decisive match. History also gives the match an additional dimension after the last meeting between the two teams in 2002.