World Cup: Today’s games

Argentina v Switzerland(Sao Paulo, 5pm)

World Cup: Today’s games

Lionel Messi is on form, they finished top of their group thanks to three wins and face a team who, while strong in attack, have looked shaky at the back. Can Messi do it all on his own, though? Even Diego Maradona had assistance in 1986. Messi has been tremendous so far, scoring in every game and Switzerland’s centre-halves could endure a difficult evening — especially if the bumbling, stumbling Johan Djourou continues where he left off against Honduras — but you feel that at some stage Messi will be surrounded by better opposition and that is when someone else will need to step up. Ottmar Hitzfeld’s side, who will have the hosts’ support, could cause them problems if they can give Xherdan Shaqiri and Josip Drmic enough ball, but there should only be one outcome.

Verdict: Argentina

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