Messi Era’s Next Chapter Starts Tonight Against a Swiss Team That Knows How to Spoil a Party

The defending World Cup champions are 90 minutes away from a semifinal berth, and standing in their way is a Switzerland side that has made a habit of making life miserable for tournament favorites.

Argentina and Switzerland just released their starting XIs for tonight’s quarterfinal in Kansas City. The reigning champs are rolling out their big guns. Lionel Messi leads the line. Julian Alvarez starts up top. Enzo Fernandez is in midfield. It’s the kind of lineup that makes you think Argentina expects to control this game from the first whistle.

But Switzerland isn’t here to just absorb pressure and hope for penalties. They’ve got their own threats. Breel Embolo is starting at striker. Granit Xhaka anchors the midfield. Manuel Akanji leads the back line. This is a team that held Brazil to a draw in group play and knocked out Portugal in the round of 16. They’re not intimidated by the stars on the other side.

The big question: can Switzerland repeat the 2010 formula?

You might remember the last time these two met in a World Cup knockout game. Spain 2010. Switzerland beat the eventual champions 1-0 in the group stage. That was the upset that announced Switzerland as a team that could grind down a possession-heavy favorite and snatch a result.

This Argentina team under Lionel Scaloni is different from that Spain squad. More direct. More willing to go vertical. But they’re still a team that wants the ball, wants to dictate tempo, and wants Messi to find pockets of space in the final third. Switzerland’s job is to clog those pockets and make Argentina play sideways.

Kansas City weather could be a factor

It’s July in the Midwest. That means humidity. That means heat. That means both teams are going to be blowing air by the 60th minute. Argentina’s depth might be the difference here — they can bring on the likes of Lautaro Martinez or Angel Di Maria off the bench. Switzerland’s second unit isn’t as proven at this level.

But knockout soccer is weird. One set piece. One individual mistake. One moment of brilliance from a player nobody expected to be the hero. That’s all it takes to flip a game like this.

Argentina hasn’t lost a knockout game since the 2022 World Cup final. They’ve been clinical when it counts. Still, Switzerland has a way of making games ugly in the best possible way for the underdog.

Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. local time. The winner gets either the Netherlands or Japan in the semis.