Switzerland is set to face Argentina in the World Cup quarter-finals on Saturday, July 11, marking their first appearance at this stage of the tournament in 72 years. The match, scheduled for 9 p.m. ET at Kansas City Stadium, pits the Swiss against a formidable Argentine side featuring captain Lionel Messi and midfielder Rodrigo De Paul.
The Swiss team has acknowledged the challenge of facing Argentina, with midfielder Denis Zakaria describing Messi as one of the best players globally. However, Switzerland remains confident in their ability to compete, having identified potential weaknesses in the defending champions’ play. Forward Zeki Amdouni also noted that the team has studied Argentina closely and believes they can exploit spaces.
Swiss confidence despite Messi’s form
Switzerland captain Granit Xhaka expressed that stopping Messi for the entire 90 minutes would be difficult, but emphasised that Argentina is more than just their star player. Zakaria echoed this sentiment, stating that while Messi is exceptional, Argentina possesses many other talented players, requiring a collective effort from the Swiss.
The Swiss team has had a respectable run in recent tournaments, reaching the quarter-finals in the last two European championships and advancing to the knockout rounds in five of their last six World Cup appearances. In the current tournament, they won their group, which included Canada, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Qatar.
Their path to the quarter-finals included eliminating Algeria with a 2-0 victory in the Round of 32 and defeating Colombia 4-3 in a penalty shootout after a goalless draw in the Round of 16. Prior to the knockout stages, Switzerland finished unbeaten in Group B with two wins and a draw, accumulating seven points.
Argentina’s journey to the quarter-finals
Argentina, led by Messi, advanced to the quarter-finals after a dramatic comeback victory against Egypt, winning 3-2 in the Round of 16. Messi scored Argentina’s second goal in that match and also provided an assist. This goal brought his total World Cup goals to 21, extending his lead as the tournament’s all-time top scorer, and marking his eighth goal in this edition, sharing the lead in the scoring charts.
Furthermore, Messi’s goal against Egypt made him the first player to score in six consecutive knockout stage matches and the first to score in nine consecutive matches in the global competition. He also reached an unprecedented 31 appearances in FIFA World Cup history. De Paul was also part of Argentina’s starting XI in the match against Egypt.
Argentina’s tournament performance saw them achieve a perfect record in Group J, starting with a 3-0 win over Algeria, followed by victories against Austria (2-0) and Jordan (3-1). They then secured a 3-2 win against Cape Verde in the Round of 16 before their match against Egypt.
This upcoming quarter-final will be the eighth encounter between Argentina and Switzerland in their history, and their third at a FIFA World Cup. Argentina has remained unbeaten in previous meetings, with five wins and two draws. Their past World Cup clashes include a 2-0 group stage victory in England in 1966 and a 1-0 win in the Round of 16 in the 2014 edition in Brazil.
Messi’s international career includes guiding Argentina to the 2021 and 2024 CONMEBOL Copa América titles, the 2022 CONMEBOL-UEFA Cup of Champions crown, and the 2022 FIFA World Cup title. He holds records for most caps (204) and most goals (125) for Argentina, and is the only player to score in the World Cup group stage, round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals, and final.
De Paul is participating in his second World Cup, having played a key role in Argentina’s 2022 triumph. He was also a significant figure alongside Messi in the 2021 and 2024 CONMEBOL Copa América and 2022 CONMEBOL-UEFA Cup of Champions victories. He has earned 91 caps for Argentina, scoring two times.
The match is scheduled for Saturday, July 11, at 9 p.m. ET.
Read Also
Source: eu.usatoday.com
