Argentina to wear 'lucky' blue away kit against England

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Holders Argentina will wear their navy blue away kit to face England in the semi-finals of the World Cup in Atlanta on Wednesday.

England will be in their all-white home kit for the game at the Atlanta Stadium (20:00 BST), which will be shown live on the BBC.

They have only worn the darker kit once during the tournament, in their 3-1 win against Jordan in the group stage.

While the move could be because of kit regulations, it has also been suggested by media in Argentina that it is linked to superstition - with the kit associated with iconic World Cup wins over England in 1986 and 1998.

They defeated the Three Lions 2-1 in the 1986 quarter-finals, in which Diego Maradona scored the 'Hand of God' goal, and also secured a last-16 penalty shootout victory over their old rivals at the 1998 tournament in France.

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Argentina wore their away kit when Maradona scored his infamous opening goal against England at the 1986 World Cup - dubbed the 'Hand of God'
Image source, Getty Images
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Maradona then scored a sublime second during Argentina's 2-1 win in the quarter-finals
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England wore white again in a penalty shootout loss to Argentina at the 1998 World Cup, where David Beckham was sent off for kicking out at midfielder Diego Simeone
Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,
Beckham gained redemption four years later when he scored a penalty in a 1-0 group-stage win over Argentina, with England wearing their red away kit

Slide 1 of 4, Diego Maradona scores his infamous goal for Argentina against England at the 1986 World Cup , Argentina wore their away kit when Maradona scored his infamous opening goal against England at the 1986 World Cup - dubbed the 'Hand of God'

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