Argentina captain Lionel Messi has described their World Cup semi-final as a special occasion as he prepares to face England for the first time.

La Albiceleste are set to take on England in their semi-final fixture which takes place at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Wednesday evening.

The 39-year-old currently sits joint top of the scoring charts alongside France’s Kylian Mbappe.

Messi says his side are ready to compete and give everything in their pursuit of a place in the World Cup final.

“The truth is, it’s special,” Messi told the media.

“It’s a special match because it’s my first time. I’ve played against everyone except England. And it’s special, as I said before, because they’re a big team, a powerhouse.

“It’s always nice to play against teams like that, in matches like this, and especially in the semi-finals of a World Cup.

“We’ll try to get some rest because we’ve been under a lot of pressure and it’s taken its toll.

“The squad feels it, but we’re in the best possible shape to carry on doing what we’ve been doing: competing.”