Argentina vs. Switzerland-World Cup: Preview, Predictions and Lineups
Argentina's thrilling World Cup title defense continues where it all started on Saturday night, as the holders face Switzerland in Kansas City.
While the Swiss is preparing for its first World Cup quarterfinal since it hosted the tournament in 1954, Argentina maintains hope of becoming the first team to retain its crown since Brazil in 1962.
La Albiceleste has made hard work of it after breezing through the group stage. Buoyed by Lionel Messi's continued greatness, it found a way to hold off Cabo Verde after extra time in the round of 32 before finding something deep within to stage a remarkable recovery against Egypt.
Argentina was 2–0 down and toiling heading into the match's final act, but a couple of Messi contributions helped Lionel Scaloni's champions tilt the tie in an instant. Enzo Fernández‘s header completed a thrilling comeback, and Switzerland's penalty shootout triumph in Vancouver means the holders has avoided a quarterfinal clash with Colombia.
A duel with the Swiss is much more appealing, although Murat Yakin's side cannot be underestimated. It's battle-hardened and, as a profligate Colombia found out, a tough team to beat.
Argentina vs. Switzerland Score Prediction
Swiss Take Holders the Distance
There's little that's logical about this Argentina team, with the aura of the sport's greatest-ever player helping mask some pretty distinct tactical flaws. That's no slight against Scaloni, who's eventually found ways in both of its knockout games to improve things and facilitate recoveries.
Years have come off the lives of Argentinian supporters as a result of the past two World Cups, with Scaloni's team either incapable of holding onto leads or leaving themselves with so much to do from behind. It's utterly chaotic, but nothing short of enthralling.
Switzerland could stymie the disorder here, given its nature as a collective, and we may well be in for another long night.
- Head-to-head record: In seven meetings, Switzerland has never beaten Argentina. La Albiceleste has also won its two World Cup matches, including a knockout stage win in 2014 after extra time.
- Fatigue a factor: While Argentina was forced into 120 minutes against Cabo Verde and an arduous 90 on Monday, Switzerland went the distance with Colombia to wrap up the round of 16-fatigue will surely play a part in Saturday night's match. The Swiss was successful in slowing down the tempo against Colombia, and it'll aim to do the same here with Argentina's haphazard press likely to allow it plenty of possession.
- Messi mirroring Mbappé: James Horncastle has compared the two World Cup greats to
Robert Angier and Alfred Borden of Christopher Nolan's The Prestige-a pair of magicians constantly trying to one-up each other. Kylian Mbappé matched Messi's eight tournament goals with a superb strike against Morocco in France's quarterfinal. Will the Argentine great answer Mbappé's call again?
Prediction: Argentina 2–2 Switzerland (Argentina win on penalties)
Argentina Predicted Lineup vs. Switzerland
There really is no other team like Argentina, with Lionel Scaloni deploying four central midfielders and asking his fullbacks to supply the width in the final third. That often leaves the holders unbalanced in possession and exposed to the counterattack, and Scaloni has had to turn to his bench to facilitate an improvement.
Despite this, we'll likely see a similar approach against Switzerland. The nomadic Lionel Messi has had success drifting wide, but probably won't until the Swiss are 2–0 ahead on Saturday. So, he'll start alongside Lautaro Martínez in attack.
Cristian Romero has shaken off a knock and will be fine to start in tandem with Lisandro Martínez, while left back Facundo Medina avoided a major issue against Cabo Verde and was fit to feature as a late substitute last time out. He could come back in for Nicolás Tagliafico here.
Reserve rightback Gonzalo Montiel is a booking away from serving a one-match suspension.
Argentina predicted lineup vs. Switzerland (4-4-2): E. Martínez; Molina, Romero, Martínez, Medina; De Paul, Mac Allister, Paredes, Fernández; Messi, L. Martínez.
Switzerland Predicted Lineup vs. Argentina
Granit Xhaka and Denis Zakaria are among the Swiss players walking a tightrope in Kansas City. Like Montiel, they're a yellow card away from missing a potential semifinal.
Murat Yakin is also dealing with a few more injury concerns than his opposite number, with emerging star Johan Manzambi the primary issue. Manzambi is nursing a knee injury and hadn't trained by Thursday, thrusting his status for the quarterfinal into serious doubt.
Michel Aebischer may be absent again due to a muscle injury, while Luca Jaquez is dealing with a similar problem.
Yakin would be wise to make a few changes to the team that started against Colombia, given that the tie went the distance. There could be a spot in Switzerland's frontline for Rubén Vargas, who scored the winning penalty in the shootout after a bright cameo off the bench.
Switzerland predicted lineup vs. Argentina (4-3-3): Kobel; Zakaria, Elvedi, Akanji, Muheim; Xhaka, Sow, Freuler; Ndoye, Embolo, Vargas.
Pick Your World Cup Starting XIs!
What Time Does Argentina vs. Switzerland Kick Off?
- Location: Kansas City, United States
- Stadium: Arrowhead Stadium
- Date: Saturday, July 11 / Sunday, July 12
- Kick-off Time: 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT / 2 a.m. BST (July 12)
- Referee: João Pinheiro (POR)
How to Watch Argentina vs. Switzerland on TV, Live Stream
| Country | Broadcaster(s) |
|---|---|
| United States | Fox Network, fuboTV, Telemundo, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, Fox One |
| Canada | TSN+, TSN1, TSN3, TSN4, RDS, CTV, RDS App, CTV App, Crave |
| Mexico | ViX Mexico |
| United Kingdom | ITV1, ITVX, STV, STV Player |
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Argentina vs. Switzerland-World Cup: Preview, Predictions and Lineups.
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This story was originally published July 10, 2026 at 9:00 PM.