FIFA WC: Argentina primed for another fight, says Scaloni

Kansas City, July 11 (IANS) Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni said his side expected a stern test against Switzerland in Saturday’s World Cup quarterfinal, describing Murat Yakin’s team as physically strong and deserving of deep respect.

Switzerland reached the last eight by beating Colombia 4-3 on penalties after a goalless 120 minutes in Vancouver.

Argentina has already endured two tense knockout games, edging Cabo Verde 3-2 after extra time before coming from two goals down to beat Egypt by the same score.

“There are no easy opponents at this stage. We know that,” Scaloni told reporters on Friday. “Switzerland has an excellent squad. They compete against the best national teams, they push forward, they have a long history at World Cups and they’re physically strong.”

“They’ll be difficult. We respect them a lot. They eliminated Colombia and we thought Colombia could win because they had been having a good World Cup.”

Scaloni indicated Argentina was likely to retain much of the starting lineup that faced Egypt.

The 48-year-old also suggested Lautaro Martinez and Julian Alvarez could again be used together after both impressed against Egypt.

“Lautaro and Julian have played very well when they’ve come onto the pitch,” Scaloni said. “They’ve done even more than what they had to do, even when we didn’t have the ball.

“Usually only one of them plays, apart from the last match, but when they were on the pitch together they did many positive things. It’s an option to have them both out there.

“I’m very grateful because they work tirelessly when we don’t have the ball. We’ll see what happens tomorrow.”

Scaloni said Argentina had not always reached the level it displayed during its victorious 2022 World Cup campaign in Qatar but praised his players’ fighting spirit.

“You can’t always play as well as we did in Qatar,” he said. “That’s what we aim for, but it’s difficult because the opponent is also at a high level.

“This team rises to the occasion and competes. The players know that tomorrow they are going to play one of the most important matches of their lives.”

He also called for more recovery time between matches at future tournaments, while acknowledging Argentina had traveled less than some other teams.

“Fortunately, we haven’t had to travel as much as teams such as Colombia, who had to cross different time zones,” Scaloni said. “That has an impact.

“With this new format, you have to adapt to everything.”

–IANS

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