'It doesn't get much better than playing against Lionel Messi' - Switzerland stars fired up for Argentina showdown with Granit Xhaka 'hungry' for World Cup surprise

Switzerland successfully advanced to the quarter-finals of the 2026 World Cup after overcoming Colombia via a thrilling penalty shootout in the round of 16. Murat Yakin’s squad are now scheduled to challenge reigning champions Argentina, who recently qualified after a 3-2 comeback victory over Egypt. This duel, to be held at the Kansas City Stadium, is predicted to be the ultimate test for a Swiss side currently holding an eight-match unbeaten streak.

Xhaka emphasised that the pressure faced by his team has now turned into extra motivation to keep going as far as possible in the tournament. As quoted by Nau.ch, he said: "When you’re this close, the hunger is even greater. It’s a very good kind of pressure we have now – we want to keep going."

The midfielder reflected on the historic honour of competing against the game's greatest modern titans before turning his attention to their tactical preparations, adding: "It must be a great privilege for us to be able to play in the Messi and [Cristiano] Ronaldo era. We haven't been able to analyse Argentina in depth yet, but we will begin a very thorough analysis tomorrow."

Meanwhile, striker Cedric Itten and midfielder Remo Freuler shared that sentiment, admitting they view the opportunity to face Messi as an incredible milestone in their respective careers.

Itten said: "It doesn't get much better than being able to play against Messi. He's in good form, and we definitely need to be ready for the next game. But you can also see that every match is close – we're looking forward to Kansas."

Freuler stated: "I've never played against Messi in my career, that's certainly something special. We deserved to reach the quarter-finals against Argentina. But one thing is clear: We won't be satisfied with that. We'll give it our all."

Fabian Rieder admitted that, as a youngster, he never imagined he would one day share a pitch with the Argentine maestro on the grandest stage of all. He explained: "As a junior, I never would have imagined that I would one day play against Messi. So it's all the more wonderful that it's happening now. It will certainly be another cool game in a cool stadium, even if the majority of the team will be Argentinians."

Forward Breel Embolo and winger Ruben Vargas also warned their team-mates that they must be prepared to suffer to contain La Albiceleste, pointing to the world champions' fierce never-say-die mentality displayed when they overturned a two-goal deficit against Egypt.

Embolo admitted: "Egypt showed what’s possible. After 70 minutes, everyone would probably have bet on Egypt. But Argentina never gives up, that’s what makes them special. And Argentina has the best player of all time, which makes the match a bit more special. Respect? Yes, we have that. But we know we can hurt any opponent. Including them – we're hungry."

Vargas added: "We all know what Argentina is capable of. They are a tournament team. They are world champions – but anything is possible at this tournament."

Switzerland have an extraordinary tactical challenge on their hands as they try to stop an Argentina frontline who have scored in each of their last five World Cup games. Messi tops the tournament’s scoring charts with eight goals and will be the biggest threat to the tight Swiss defence. The Rossocrociati need to be perfect if they are to dampen the collective power of Lionel Scaloni’s men, who are on a 12-game winning run in all competitions.