Messi set to start as Argentina’s World Cup defence continues against Switzerland: Live updates

Switzerland’s run to the quarter-finals has not been built on flair or panache. They have touches of both in their squad but their style of play is based on a rigid defensive structure in which few risks are taken and positional discipline is essential.

The one thing you don’t get against Switzerland is big gaps to work with.

Against Colombia in the last 16, they gave away very few chances and Murat Yakin’s side was impressive at scrambling to cover and shore things up on the occasions Colombia looked as if they had split the Swiss open. But Colombia were reluctant to push their full-backs forward. They clearly sensed a threat from Switzerland out wide, even without Johan Manzambi.

Manzambi has been ruled out of this game but in many ways, the key player in the entire machine is the captain, Granit Xhaka. The Sunderland man sits at the centre of midfield, pulling the strings with his short-range passing and, more importantly, organising the structure around him.

He’s a talker, he’s a natural leader and with Xhaka in position, the rest of the players appear to know exactly where they should be.

Yakin has been with this team for five years now. There’s a strong level of understanding between coach and squad, and they absolutely know the type of side they’re supposed to be. They topped their group, they’ve conceded three times in the entire tournament, so it would be wrong to say they’ve made the last eight through luck or chance.

They’re simply the least dangerous attacking side left in the tournament — so to upset Argentina, they’ll likely need a repeat of the story against Colombia: solid through 90 minutes, solid through extra time and then clinical in a penalty shootout.

It’s a big ask, but it’s not out of the question.