'Everyone will talk about Messi... but we have so much ability' - Pickford

[Getty Images] Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford says England have "mentality in abundance" and are "ready for the challenge" of playing reigning world champions Argentina for a place in Sunday's World Cup final. The Three Lions face the holders in Atlanta on Wednesday (20:00 BST), with the other semi-final between France and Spain taking place on Tuesday (20:00). "We have the togetherness and mentality to play against a top nation," said Pickford. "It's always a competitive game and we look at the route and the upsets. "It is the top four nations in the world playing against each other in a semi-final. "This is our moment to play against Argentina and reach the final. You have to be proud to get here and be ready for the challenge. "I've watched football all my life and you know all the players. They have very good individuals and they are a very good team. "Like the manager [Thomas Tuchel] said, we have mentality in abundance. We are not the finished article and we want to keep working hard. "Everyone will talk about [Lionel] Messi as he is one of the GOATS of the game. We have so much ability in our squad, and we also have that resilience and mentality." While Messi is Argentina's main threat, Pickford warned against ignoring the other talents in Lionel Scaloni's side. "He has scored so many goals and contributed to so many over his career. It's great to finally come up against him after so long, and watching him as a kid," Pickford added. "We all know how good Messi is, but we also know how good Argentina are. We can't solely rely on [stopping] Messi. We've got to focus on their other strengths and the weaknesses we can take advantage of."