Eyes on the prize: Can stuttering Argentina get past Switzerland?

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Who: Argentina vs Switzerland
What: FIFA World Cup ۲۰۲۶ – Quarterfinal
Where: Kansas City Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, the United States
When: Saturday at ۸pm (۰۱:۰۰ GMT on Sunday)
How to follow: We will have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from ۲۲:۰۰ GMT before our live text commentary stream.

After two gruelling knockout contests, defined by controversies more than goals, Argentina enter the business end of the World Cup.

The reigning champions outclassed most title contenders in the group stage, thanks to the unstoppable striking force of Lionel Messi.

But their unconvincing, stuttering run in the knockout phase – where they were pitted against far inferior opponents – has raised a question: Can Argentina really retain their title?

Up next for the two-time world champions is Switzerland, who have quietly made a remarkable return to the quarterfinals for the first time in ۷۲ years.

The impressive duo of Breel Embolo and Johan Manzambi has won Swiss hearts, and Saturday’s clash offers them a chance to seek revenge for a World Cup defeat by Argentina in ۲۰۱۴.

How did Argentina and Switzerland reach the quarterfinals?

Argentina had a strong showing in the first round, topping Group J by beating Austria, Jordan and Algeria. In the round of ۳۲, they were pushed to their limits by Cape Verde before squeezing past ۳-۲ in extra time, and came from two goals down to beat Egypt ۳-۲ in a controversial last-۱۶ contest which drew allegations of officiating bias.

Switzerland topped Group B with an unbeaten record, winning against Canada and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and drawing with Qatar. They beat Algeria ۲-۰ in the round of ۳۲ and beat Colombia ۴-۳ on penalties to reach the quarterfinals for the first time in ۷۲ years.

‘Argentina are not invincible’: Swiss coach

What started out as a confident campaign has slowly turned into a shaky title defence for Argentina.

Tournament debutants Cape Verde – the smallest nation to play in the World Cup knockouts – gave Argentina a wake-up call, forcing the reigning champions to dig deep for victory.

The Argentinian suffering continued in the next game, where they trailed ۲-۰ against Egypt before turning it around in stoppage time – in a contest where the opposition accused the referee of favouring the title holders.

These performances have pushed Argentina down to fourth in the pecking order of the favourites, while they’ve also slipped from the top spot to number two in the FIFA rankings.

It has instilled the belief in the Swiss camp that beating Argentina is not out of reach.

“We’re up against the defending champions, which is a unique opportunity. ‌At the same time, we’ve realised that Argentina are not invincible,” Switzerland coach Murat Yakin said.

“It should be an interesting match from a tactical point of view.”

Can ageing Messi keep up with the demands of the World Cup?

At ۳۹, when most players’ careers are long behind them, Messi is proving that age is just a number.

In his sixth and possibly last World Cup, Messi has maintained a perfect record, scoring in each of Argentina’s five matches so far. His eight goals keep him second in the Golden Boot race, only behind France’s Kylian Mbappe, who has also scored eight goals but has played a game more, on account of assists.

Although no longer at his athletic peak, Messi is still very much carrying the burden of the goal-scoring duties for his national team – and rescued them from early elimination in the round of ۱۶ with a goal and assist.

In a rare show of emotion, he even broke down after that game, saying he was desperate for his World Cup journey to continue.

But after his own admission of fatigue after playing ۱۲۰ minutes against Cape Verde and pushing hard against a resilient Egypt, Messi’s ageing body is fighting to keep up with the gruelling demands of tournament football.

As the stakes get higher and the margins for error reduce, it begs the question: Will age finally catch up with him?

Argentina vs Switzerland predictions

The Opta supercomputer gives Argentina a ۵۷.۱ percent likelihood of winning in regulation time, while Switzerland’s chances of winning are ۱۸.۷ percent.

The model estimated a ۲۴.۲ percent probability of the game going to extra time.

Argentina vs Switzerland: TV schedule, kickoff

• Argentina: TyC Sports, TyC Sports Play (۱۰pm, Argentina Time)
• Switzerland: SRF, RSI, RTS (۳am on Sunday, Central European Summer Time)
• United Kingdom: ITV۱, ITVX, STV (۲am on Sunday, British Summer Time)
• US: FOX, FOX One, Telemundo App, Telemundo Network, Peacock (۹pm, Eastern Daylight Time)

To check the TV listings for your country, head to FIFA’s TV listing schedule here.

Who will the winner face in the semifinals?

The winner of the Argentina vs Switzerland match will face either Norway or England in the semifinals in Atlanta on Wednesday.

Argentina vs Switzerland: Head-to-head

The two countries have met seven times, with Argentina winning five of those matches, while two ended in a draw.

Argentina have also won both of their World Cup games against Switzerland: ۲-۰ in a group game in ۱۹۶۶ and ۱-۰ in the round of ۱۶ in ۲۰۱۴, which was also the last meeting between the sides in any competition.

Only ⁠three players remain from the ۲۰۱۴ meeting: Messi, Swiss captain Granit Xhaka, and defender Ricardo Rodriguez.

Argentina vs Switzerland: Team news

While no injuries are reported in the Argentina camp, Switzerland’s Manzambi and Jaquez are out with knee and muscle injuries, respectively, while Aebischer is doubtful.

Manzambi, Switzerland’s ۲۰-year-old breakout star, also missed the last game.

Argentina’s predicted lineup

(۴-۱-۳-۲): Martinez (goalkeeper); Molina, Romero, Lisandro, Tagliafico; Paredes; De Paul, Enzo, Mac Allister; Messi, Lautaro

Switzerland’s predicted lineup

(۴-۲-۳-۱): Kobel (goalkeeper); Zakaria, Elvedi, Akanji, Rodriguez; Freuler, Xhaka; Vargas, Rieder, Ndoye; Embolo