'We’ll have 11 captains out there': England heroes Gazza, John Barnes and Emile Heskey send support to Three Lions ahead of World Cup semi-final

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Thomas Tuchel's men will take on bitter rivals Argentina for a place in the World Cup final at Atlanta Stadium tonight.

In footage shared exclusively to LBC, the trio of former England stars took a moment to wish the current squad luck ahead of their crucial match.

Gazza, who played for England from 1988 to 1998 and is widely regarded as one of the greatest English footballers of all time, wished the side "all the best" in the clash.

"You know, it's a big one. I know it's like playing a semi-final, and hopefully no one ends up like me crying their eyes out," the former Spurs midfielder joked.

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"Hopefully they've all got great smiles at the end of the game.

"Gotta have 11 captains out there, not just the one that flicks the coin up. Come on, England, you can do it!"

John Barnes, the former England and Liverpool star, also chimed in with a message for the team.

“Hi LBC, John Barnes here. I just want to wish the England team all the best tonight against Argentina.

“It’s coming home.”

Barnes earned 79 caps for England and is also considered one of the country's greatest ever players.

He also won two League titles and two FA Cups with Liverpool.

Former England striker Emile Heskey also had some inspirational words to share with the Three Lions.

"I just want to give a quick message to all the England lads.

"I just want to say good luck, we're all rooting for you, we're all behind you.

"Go and give it to them and bring it home for us."

Heskey had spells at several top flight clubs including Liverpool and Aston Villa. He made his debut for England in 1999.

Former England midfielder Jamie Redknapp has said he would be ‘amazed’ if there weren’t red cards later tonight.

"I'll be amazed if this is 11 v 11 at the end of it," he said. 

"They've got players like Romero that are obviously very combative. 

"He'll be trying to go into tackles and they'll play on the edge, we have to be careful that we do not get drawn into that because of one silly mistake."

Pubs are expecting to sell six million extra pints on Wednesday to fans watching England’s semi-final against Argentina.

The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) said pubs would expect to sell eight million pints on an average Wednesday in July, so the extra six million equates to a 75% increase.

BBPS chief executive Emma McClarkin said: “Thanks to the World Cup, we’ve seen millions of extra pints sold off the back of home nations matches.

“Given the nail-biting stakes, we expect Wednesday to be the most successful night of the tournament, with more than six million extra pints potentially sold – which is a bigger boost than we’d normally see on a bank holiday or New Year’s Eve.”

The upcoming match between England and Argentina has been labelled the "highest risk" game of the tournament so far.

The longstanding rivalry between England and Argentina and the possibility of clashes between fans has led to enhanced security measures for the game.

Thousands of England supporters have descended on Atlanta ahead of Wednesday’s semi-final.

England manager Thomas Tuchel said his side were ready to face an Argentina team “fuelled by history” as they bid to reach a first men’s World Cup final since 1966.

He told reporters on Tuesday that much of the challenge would be preventing Messi from producing another moment of brilliance.

Tuchel said his players had the “grit” and mentality to overcome the reigning champions, despite describing the 39-year-old as a unique talent who “sees stuff earlier than anyone else on the field”

.He added that he considered using “proper old school man-marking” to stop the Argentina captain, who has scored eight goals at what is expected to be his final World Cup.

Tuchel and Judge Bellingham have also managed to clear the air ahead of tonight’s game.

The England boss said there are “no cracks” in the side and said the pair are closer than ever before despite the England star publicly hitting back at his manager for saying the Three Lions were 'lucky' against Norway.

The pair’s relationship has been under the microscope after comments the manager made after the Norway game, describing England as ‘lucky’ to have made it through.

Tuchel revealed he spoke to the squad to clear the air the following day and claims there are no issues whatsoever with Bellingham ahead of Wednesday’s semi-final against Argentina.

“No problem. I spoke to the whole team after, which was basically the same message.

“And I explained it again yesterday to just move on. Then, straight away, we talked about Argentina.

“Our comments come from the same place — from having the edge when competition is on. “He (Bellingham) was just confronted with the negative side.

“I called him a world-class player. I said he had produced world-class actions again — that the mentality of this team is outstanding.

“All of that was not part of the question. So he was confronted with, ‘What do you think? The coach said you were sloppy’.

“I’d maybe bite back if I came from 120 minutes, scored two, gave everything. It’s a normal reaction for a player of his mindset.”