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

Argentina is set to face Switzerland in the 2026 FIFA 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-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. Historically, Argentina has never lost to Switzerland, with five wins and two draws.

Ahead of the match, Argentina's coach Lionel Scaloni addressed conspiracy theories about refereeing bias favoring Argentina, a claim often made since their 1986 World Cup win. Scaloni said these accusations are used to motivate players by highlighting that many do not want Argentina to succeed, especially since they are the defending champions. He described this as a form of rebellion that helps the team perform better.

The Argentine squad is expected to field a similar lineup to the one that played Egypt, though Lautaro Martinez and Thiago Almada are also considered options. The high level of interest in Argentina was evident as around 300 journalists attended their final training session.

Switzerland aims to reach the World Cup semifinals for the first time in history, returning to the quarterfinals after 72 years. Their 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.

Projected lineups include Emiliano Martinez in goal for Argentina, with Lionel Messi and Julian Alvarez leading the attack. Switzerland's lineup features goalkeeper Gregor Kobel and key players like Granit Xhaka and Ruben Vargas.