Messi, reigning champ Argentina take on upstart Switzerland in World Cup quarters

KANSAS CITY, Missouri (AP) — On one side of the field will be Argentina, the defending World Cup champions, boasting a roster that features the likes of Lautaro Martinez, Julián Alvarez and, of course, Lionel Messi, perhaps the greatest player of his generation. On the other side, Switzerland. Yes, the final quarterfinal match Saturday night, July 11, could hardly seem a bigger mismatch. Argentina has the glitz and the glamor, to say nothing of the stars and the trophies, while the Swiss have never even reached the World Cup semifinals; in fact, they haven't been to the quarterfinals since 1954, when they lost to Austria in a tournament they hosted. But anything can happen on the field as Argentina and the rest of the world learned when the three-time champions struggled to beat Cape Verde, and when La Albiceleste had to rally from a 2-0 deficit in the final 11 minutes to beat Egypt on Tuesday. And that has given hope to a Switzerland team that beat Colombia on penalty kicks to earn a date with the Argentines at Arrowhead Stadium. “We know Argentina has many fine qualities. Few talk about the Swiss qualities,” defensive midfielder and team captain Granit Xhaka said Friday. “Tomorrow we will talk on the pitch, and we will show what we can do, and everything else doesn’t matter.” The winner will play either Norway or England on Wednesday in Atlanta for a spot in the World Cup final. “It's obviously a very tough challenge,” Switzerland defender Manuel Akanji said, “but I think we're ready. I think we can play against any opponent and make it hard for them. We know it's going to be difficult but we're going to give our best.” Everything starts on defense for Switzerland, which has allowed only three goals in...