Argentina Coach Scaloni Motivates Team Ahead of World Cup Quarterfinal Against Switzerland

Argentina is set to face Switzerland in the 2026 World Cup quarterfinals on Sunday night at 4:00 AM in Kansas, following a dramatic win over Egypt in the round of 16. The winner will advance to the semifinals to play the victor of the England versus Norway match on Wednesday. This encounter recalls their 2014 round of 16 meeting, where Argentina won 1-0 in extra time thanks to Angel Di Maria, eventually reaching the final before losing to Germany.

Argentina has never lost to Switzerland in their seven previous encounters, with five wins and two draws. The high level of interest in the Argentine team was evident as around 300 journalists attended coach Lionel Scaloni's final training session before the quarterfinal. Scaloni, known for rotating his squad, might field the same starting eleven that played against Egypt, though Lautaro Martinez and Thiago Almada are also considered options.

Addressing claims of favorable refereeing decisions benefiting Argentina, Scaloni acknowledged that accusations of bias have followed the team since 1986. He said, "People use this to motivate our players, to remind them that some do not want Argentina to win, which we turn into a form of rebellion to perform even better."

Switzerland aims to reach the World Cup semifinals for the first time in history, returning to the quarterfinal stage after 72 years. Coach Murat Yakin will again be without star player Johan Menzambi, but Ruben Vargas, who scored the decisive penalty against Colombia, is expected to start.

The probable lineups are: Argentina with Emiliano Martinez; Nahuel Molina, Cristian Romero, Lisandro Martinez, Nicolas Tagliafico; Leandro Paredes, Rodrigo De Paul, Enzo Fernandez, Alexis Mac Allister; Lionel Messi, Julian Alvarez. Switzerland is expected to field Gregor Kobel; Denis Zakaria, Manuel Akanji, Nico Elvedi, Ricardo Rodriguez; Remo Freuler, Granit Xhaka, Fabian Rieder; Ruben Vargas, Den Andi, Breel Embolo.