Argentina vs Switzerland prediction 12.07.2026 | World Cup

Argentina came to the World Cup as one of the main favorites to win it all. And in the group stage, they were amazing, winning all three games pretty easily. However, in the knockout phase, they unexpectedly had big problems against Cape Verde and Egypt. That is probably the easiest path for any team in the knockout phase, and yet, Messi and the company barely squeezed out the wins there. We were particularly unimpressed with the lack of tools to attack the low block as they stubbornly attacked through the middle. However, in the last game, when they went all-attack mode, it was evident just how potent they are. So, it will definitely be interesting to see how they will attack Switzerland after they closed the game very well against Colombia. 

In the previous game, Lionel Scaloni made a big change, putting Julian Alvarez in the starting eleven and leaving Lautaro Martinez on the bench. However, that did not look great, and we expect Martinez back in the starting lineup.

Switzerland are trying to reach the World Cup semi-finals for the first time ever in their history. And there is no better way of doing that than by eliminating the reigning champs. We can safely say they fulfilled their goals and will approach this game with very little pressure. Through the Group Stage, Switzerland had some uncharacteristically bad defensive performances, but that changed in the knockout phase. After failing to keep their net intact in all three GS games, they kept it against Algeria and Colombia in the 1/32 and 1/16 Finals. 

In the previous game, coach Yakin was without Johan Manzambi, who was probably their best player at the WC. He has been huge for their offense, and his potential absence is a major factor. In four games at the WC, he scored three goals and assisted two.