Scaloni Disagrees Argentina Favored by Referees, Hints at Switzerland Lineup

Argentina's head coach Lionel Scaloni spoke to the media ahead of their upcoming World Cup 2026 quarter-final clash against Switzerland. He hinted that the same starting eleven who faced Egypt might take to the field.

“I've repeated the lineup several times already, so it wouldn't be unreasonable to do so again. It's also not out of the question to make a change. But it will be similar to what we saw in the last match. Regarding what Lamine Yamal said, it seems logical to me – Spain and France are two very good teams, among the best,” the Argentine coach declared.

Regarding Switzerland, he avoided any display of overconfidence. “There are no easy opponents,” Scaloni noted, describing the “Crusaders” as a team accustomed to competing against top national sides. He highlighted their World Cup tradition, the experience of many of their players, and especially their physical strength. He also recalled that they eliminated Colombia – one of the teams many had envisioned reaching this stage.

Scaloni also addressed the significant controversies surrounding Argentina's last match against Egypt, as well as accusations that the “Gauchos” are favored by referees: “We use the criticism and comments people make as motivation. We turn them into fuel to make the players perform even better. Argentina has always been talked about because we always compete at the highest level in these tournaments, and furthermore, we come into this one as defending champions.”

There are people who don't want Argentina to win, but that's normal; it happens to every national team. We use this as motivation to make the players react and perform even better.

The Argentine coach added: "There's a campaign, some people say we've been favored for a very long time, as long as I can remember. Maybe they don't want us to win because we won the last World Cup. Nowadays, with VAR, it's very difficult for anyone to help you. Lisandro Martinez was stepped on, it was a foul. Everything gets exaggerated on social media, but there's no favoritism."

As is often the case, a large part of the press conference was dedicated to superstar Lionel Messi. Scaloni assured that the captain maintains impeccable physical fitness and that beyond statistics, today he is even more decisive because the team supports him better, and he continues to read moments in matches like no one else.

“When he senses an opportunity to create danger, he's a machine,” stated the coach, expressing his conviction that the Rosario star will continue to be the world's best as long as he maintains his desire to compete. He even admitted it's impossible for him to imagine the level Messi reached at Pep Guardiola's Barcelona when he hears stories from those who played alongside him.

The coach also commented on the possibility of pairing Lautaro Martinez and Julian Alvarez in attack. He highly praised the sacrifice of both, especially in pressing and off-the-ball play, and admitted that this is an alternative he always considers, whether from the start of the match or as an option during play. “My assessment is positive. I am grateful to both of them because they work tirelessly,” he noted.

In this context, he also spoke about the legacy he hopes this cycle will leave. Scaloni stated that he would like Argentina to be remembered as a team that was never satisfied with what they achieved, and he became emotional recalling a message from a 10-year-old boy who, on July 9th, shouted: “Long live the homeland, long live Argentina!” For Scaloni, this identification of the youngest with the national team is the true legacy of a group that plays “like on the neighborhood pitch” and never leaves a ball lost.