Lionel Messi and Argentina are vulnerable ahead of World Cup matchup, claims Switzerland coach

Switzerland have drawn Argentina as their next opponents in the World Cup quarterfinals, following their penalty shootout win against Colombia in the Round of 16, and head coach Murat Yakin feels this is a winnable match for them.

While acknowledging that facing Argentina is far from ideal, Yakin believes there are areas where they can hurt them, as the reigning World Cup champions struggled against Egypt and Cape Verde in their past two knockout games. If it weren’t for Lionel Messi’s heroics, La Albiceleste would’ve been eliminated already.

“We’re playing against the world champion. There’s nothing better than having this opportunity. But it’s also been clear, over the last two matches, that Argentina is vulnerable,” Yakin said during a recent press conference.

“I think we have earned our opponents’ respect. Tactically, it’s going to be an interesting match. We are capable of rattling the world champions. For a nation like Switzerland, playing a quarter-final against Argentina is a massive moment. So, expectations are huge. I think I’ll still need a few hours, maybe even a day, to fully realize what is happening to us,” he added.

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Argentina are unbeaten against Switzerland in the World Cup

Argentina and Switzerland are set to square off at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City on Saturday, marking their third-ever meeting in the World Cup stage.

These two nations last faced off in the 2014 World Cup, when Angel Di Maria scored the winning goal for La Albiceleste in extra time to secure a 1-0 Round of 16 victory. Argentina eventually lost to Germany (via the same scoreline) in the final.

Before 2014, their only tournament meeting came during the group stage of the 1966 World Cup, when Argentina won 2-0 en route to taking the second seed in Group 2 before losing 1-0 to England in the quarterfinals.

Despite this, Argentina won’t have it easy against Switzerland this weekend. To Murat Yakin’s point, Lionel Messi’s side has struggled against counterattacks and opposing wingers, while the lack of goals from their strikers is another area they will look to improve.