Swiss praise Messi but plan to hurt Argentina
Switzerland's players have heaped praise on Lionel Messi ahead of their 2026 FIFA World Cup quarter-final against Argentina, but they have also identified weaknesses in the defending champion and believe they can cause an upset.
Midfielder Denis Zakaria described Argentina as the best team in the world and Messi as the game's outstanding player, but insisted his side had the quality to contain the eight-times Ballon d'Or winner and derail the South American side's title defence.
"It will be up to us to produce a very big performance if we want to beat them," Zakaria said.
"Obviously, it's always difficult to stop a player like that, but I think we have the quality and we have the players to do it."
Switzerland, which eliminated Algeria and Colombia in the knockout rounds, has reached the quarter-finals for the first time in 72 years but is hungry for more, the 29-year-old midfielder added.
Messi has scored eight goals in the tournament, level with France's Kylian Mbappe, and inspired Argentina's 3-2 comeback victory over Egypt in the Round of 16 after his side trailed 2-0 with 11 minutes remaining.
Zakaria noted that Messi's freedom of movement makes him particularly difficult to neutralise, but added that the key to beat Argentina would be a collective effort rather than an exclusive focus on its captain.
"We know that Messi is the best or one of the best players in the world, but in the end, Argentina are not only Messi. Other players are good and we know that we don't have to be only focused on Messi," he said.
Forward Zeki Amdouni echoed his teammate's admiration for Messi but said Switzerland had spotted opportunities to exploit.
"We've studied them and we'll continue to do so today. I think there is space, and if we're here today, it's because we can hurt them too," Amdouni said.
Former Germany goalkeeper Jens Lehmann raised eyebrows this week when he claimed on German television that Swiss players appeared to have too much respect for Messi and only wanted to leave the game with his shirt.
"Messi is a great player – the greatest. When you're a child, everyone has idols. But playing against them is different," Amdouni said.
"We'll give everything on the field and do our best to beat Argentina."
