11/07/2026 03:04 - Deportes
Source: Infobae
Less than 24 hours away from the clash against the Swiss in Kansas City, the coaching staff has defined the panorama. Lionel Scaloni remained cautious against a rival that eliminated Colombia in a penalty shootout, while highlighting the group spirit that keeps the Albiceleste united.
The squad trained on Friday afternoon at the Sporting KC Training Center. With no suspensions or injuries, the head coach has the entire roster at his disposal. According to accredited media reports, the team will be the exact same one that achieved the heroic comeback against Egypt in the Round of 16.
| Argentina's Starting Eleven | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper: Emiliano Martinez | |||
| Nahuel Molina | Cristian Romero | Lisandro Martinez | Nicolas Tagliafico |
| Midfield: Rodrigo De Paul, Enzo Fernandez, Alexis Mac Allister, Leandro Paredes | |||
| Forwards: Lionel Messi and Julian Alvarez | |||
Lautaro Martinez and Nicolas Gonzalez would wait on the bench for a potential second-half substitution.
In the mixed zone of the Kansas stadium, the 'Gringo' (a common nickname in Argentina for those with blonde hair or light features, which is Scaloni's case) touched on several key points ahead of the match to be played on Saturday at 10:00 PM (Argentine time):
We are not unbeatable, no team is. Switzerland is a worthy rival, difficult, they have a good tradition and are physically strong. Today we saw that Spain was better than Belgium and scored in the 87th minute. All matches are tightly contested.
It does not worry me because we are the second-highest scoring team. They have done more than what they have to do, even when they do not have the ball. They work extremely hard and that is still a concern for our rivals.
With the VAR, it is very difficult for anyone to help us. There is no double interpretation. On social media, everything is magnified and the debate starts, but there is no such thing as receiving help. The rules are there, they are clear.
It would not occur to me to tell Leo what to do, let him do whatever he wants on the pitch. Furthermore, he valued the group: These are the best moments by far. Eating an 'asado' (traditional Argentine barbecue) and playing 'truco' (a popular Argentine card game) builds team spirit and makes us stronger.
The Argentine national team reaches this stage after a perfect group phase: they thrashed Algeria 3-0, beat Austria 2-0, and overcame Jordan 3-1. In the Round of 32, they suffered against Cape Verde, winning 3-2 in extra time, and in the Round of 16, they came back from a 0-2 deficit to defeat Egypt 3-2.
For its part, Switzerland arrives after overcoming Colombia in a dramatic penalty shootout. In the tournament, Lionel Messi has 8 goals (21 total in World Cup history), sharing the top scorer lead with Kylian Mbappe, one goal ahead of Erling Haaland.
Alfredo S. Quiroga
