Mother of all grudges

History will be revisited in St Etienne this evening when England and Argentina, divided over the years by football as much as politics, come together in a fascinating World Cup quarter-final tie.

After three weeks of preliminary skirmishing, which has produced a thousand talking points but few grudge games, the build-up to the final phase could scarcely be more tense.

Glenn Hoddle describes the match as England's biggest appointment since Bobby Robson took his team into a memorable but ill-fated semi-final tie against Germany in Turin eight years ago.

Daniel Passerella, the Argentinian manager, shrinks from attaching that kind of urgency but concedes that the match will provide a huge test of character for a team billed as potential champions.

"At some point in the World Cup, there is a game which you know will tell you a lot about your team," he says. "For us, this could be it."

This evening's match comes with a lot of baggage. For example, in 1966 when the England manager, Alf Ramsey, described one of the Argentinians, Rattin, as an animal. The South Americans were so incensed that they tried to kick down the door of the England dressingroom after the game.

Twenty years on, revenge was exacted in full with two startling goals from Diego Maradona in the Atzec Stadium in Mexico City. The first was the infamous Hand of God goal, which still endures in English eyes as one of football's great injustices; the second came from a run that started with Maradona swaying past Hoddle close to half-way.

Add in what is curiously described as legitimate warfare in the Falklands in 1982 and countless insults traded since, and it leads to some of the fiercest tribalism in sport.

If the hooligan element has its way, there could be more pitched battles around the streets of St Etienne this evening. The French police, however, are confident that they can handle the problem, having profited from the lessons in Marseille to dampen potential flashpoints Toulouse and Lens.

For all his protestations to the contrary, one wonders if the England manager is upbeat about his team's prospects. In statements which could be construed as whistling in the dark, he has said he is relieved to have drawn Argentina, leaving Romania, who topped Group G, to worry about Croatia.

It's true that the Croatians, like Yugoslavia, don't usually get the respect they deserve as formidable competitors. It's equally true that England fail to adjust to the role of favourites on those frequent occasions when public opinion loses touch with reality.

The perception that England are making up the numbers will suit Hoddle. And yet, from any standpoint, it's difficult to work out a credible case for a team which may be in some danger of being carried away by that 2-0 win over a Colombian team with little self-belief.

If there was genuine encouragement to be drawn by that performance in Lens, it was that, with David Batty gone and David Beckham alongside Paul Ince in the pivotal roles, Hoddle's midfield formation looked better balanced.

Given the modern interpretation of the rules, Batty and, to a lesser extent, Ince - indeed, anybody who puts his foot into a tackle - can be classified in the high-risk category. The bigger consideration in the revision, however, is that Beckham, pushing forward, can complement the admirable Paul Scholes, one of the better England players in these finals.

Hoddle may need both players in top form to beef up an attack in which Alan Shearer has yet to produce anything to match his reputation and Michael Owen has some adjustments after his serious gaffes against the Colombians.

The South Americans are likely to miss the experience of Roberto Sensini, who is recovering from a damaged hamstring. Otherwise, they have no injury worries.

Gabriel Batistuta, enjoying sporadic assistance from the young Marcelo Gallardo, continues as favourite to finish top scorer and, behind Batistuta, Passerella has a range of midfield talent which would be the envy of every other manager.

Ariel Ortega is rightly described as a jewel; Juan Veron could be king in any other team, save, perhaps, Brazil; and in Diego Simeone, a tireless runner with the ability to provide the decisive pass, they have possibly the best all-round midfielder in the championship.

Any one of them can be a matchwinner. And that, almost certainly, is Glenn Hoddle's greatest worry as he seeks to answer those who would terminate his stewardship on the completion of France '98.