With a spot in the semifinals on the line, Lionel Scaloni’s Argentina have been playing like a cat with nine lives, but the World Cup isn’t about looking good while advancing; it’s just about getting the job done. And with Lionel Messi scoring eight goals so far in the World Cup, Argentina have quite a lot of room for error, knowing they have the ability to come back at all times. They’ve done a little of everything, and even if the defense has been susceptible during the knockout stage, conceding four goals so far, with defenders pitching in on the scoring too, they’ll still be among the favorites as they face Switzerland.
In a penalty shootout, Switzerland took out Colombia to book their own place in the quarterfinals behind the play of goalkeeper Gregor Kobel. They have been dealt an injury blow as Johan Manzambi, one of the breakout young players of the World Cup, will miss a second consecutive game. Switzerland’s defense and the leadership of Granit Xhaka will give them a chance, as after Argentina allowed Cabo Verde and Egypt to score multiple goals, it’s hard to see them suddenly stopping Switzerland from scoring.
How to watch Argentina vs. Switzerland
Date: Saturday, July 11 | Time: 9 p.m. ET
Location: Arrowhead Stadium — Kansas City, Mo.
TV: Fox (Eng), Telemundo (Spa) | Live stream: Fubo (Try for free)
Odds: Argentina -143; Draw +260; Switzerland +450
The last meeting
It has been a while since these two have met, but this will actually be their third World Cup meeting. Argentina last faced Switzerland during the round of 16 in Brazil. That game was deadlocked for 90 minutes despite Argentina taking 20 shots during regulation, but in extra time, the Lionel Messi, Angel Di Maria connection struck to send Argentina through to the next round. Messi marched towards the box and laid off a low ball to Di Maria, who used his signature left foot to place a low shot into the far side of the goal for the 1-0 win in one of the most iconic goals of the Argenitna national team.
Messi and Xhaka were both in the starting lineup for that game, and 12 years later, they’ll both be expected to start and play large roles in this match.
How they got here
Argentina have delivered instant classic after instant classic during this World Cup. The group stage was a walk in the park, topping Group J with a perfect nine points from three games, while only conceding one goal. But in the knockouts, Argentina needed heroics to get past Cabo Verde in the round of 32, forcing an 111th-minute own goal to avoid a penalty shootout. That ramped up in the round of 16 against Egypt. Trailing 2-0 after the 67th minute of play, Argentina scored in the 79th, the 83rd, and the 93rd minutes of play to advance out of the round. It’s plenty of fire for Argentina to deal with, but that’s the level of inevitability that a team is afforded when they have Messi. Switzerland will be working uphill in this one.
On the Swiss side, winning their group over host nation Canada earned them a favorable draw in the round of 32. They took care of Algeria with a standard 2-0 victory but then got pitted against Colombia in the round of 16. Once there, the defense took over, pitching a shutout despite facing a high-powered attack, and they kept their steel in extra time to win a penalty shootout.
How far can Messi take Argentina?
Messi has aged like a fine wine, being the joint top scorer in this World Cup alongside Kylian Mbappe with eight goals and an assist so far during this tournament. Argentina have been tormented down the wings, but none of it has mattered as Messi has pulled them back no matter what has happened. There are limits to that prowess, and that’s where Kobel and the Swiss defense come into play. No one has been able to stop Messi, but Switzerland hasn’t been a team that will go into a defensive panic late in a game, which, if Argentina go behind early yet again, will make it tougher to come back.
At least one of Julian Alvarez or Lautaro Martinez will need to join Messi in the attack if Argentina are to win this World Cup, and while they did find the back of the net during the group stage, the attack has been Messi-powered during the knockouts so far, which can only go on for so long as the opposition gets tougher by the game.
Argentina vs. Switzerland predicted starting lineups
Argentina predicted XI: Emiliano Martinez, Facundo Medina, Lisandro Martinez, Cristian Romero, Leandro Paredes, Alexis Mac Allister, Rodrigo De Paul, Enzo Fernandez, Lionel Messi, Lautaro Martinez
Switzerland predicted XI: Gregor Kobel, Miro Muheim, Manuel Akanji, Nico Elvedi, Denis Zakaria, Djibril Sow, Granit Xhaka, Remo Freuler, Ruben Vargas, Breel Embolo, Dan Ndoye
Argentina vs. Switzerland pick, prediction
Argentina’s attacking pressure will be enough to break down Switzerland without needing 120 minutes to do so. If Manzambi were healthy, this may go differently, but Switzerland won’t be dynamic enough going forward to keep Argentina at bay, ultimately losing. Score: Argentina 2, Switzerland 1
Golazo 48 Nations: Follow the World Cup all summer long
Golazo 48 Nations is your all-access destination for the World Cup, with wall-to-wall coverage across the CBS Sports Golazo Network. From the first whistle to the final recap, the entire Golazo crew will guide fans through every moment of the tournament.
Each day begins with Morning Footy, setting the stage with the just in news, storylines, and previews ahead of kickoff. From there, Golazo Matchday and Golazo Matchnight deliver reaction and analysis as the action unfolds. Fans can also tune in for coverage of USMNT matches with the Call It What You Want
team, as well as reaction to other marquee matchups.
The day wraps with Scoreline, a comprehensive nightly recap of every result, moment, and storyline from across the tournament. Altogether, the Golazo Network will deliver up to 12 hours of programming each matchday, available across the Golazo Network and its YouTube channel.
