Argentina has Lionel Messi – and Messi alone – to thank for their perfect passage into the Round of 16. The talismanic forward scored four goals in the group stage, making him one of the frontrunners for this year’s Golden Boot. But great as Messi’s been, he hasn’t scored a hat-trick, something Switzerland’s Xherdan Shaqiri accomplished against Honduras to see the Swiss through.
The two diminutive forwards will lead their respective teams in this potentially explosive match, much like Uruguay vs. Colombia, with a host of offense on show. You can find our preview of that match here, and read on to see which pint-sized playmaker lifts his team to victory.
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Argentina vs. Switzerland, World Cup 2014, Round of 16 Betting Preview and Prediction
World Cup favorites Argentina did what was expected of them and escaped a relatively easy Group F with three wins out of three. However, those three wins haven’t exactly come in the most convincing fashion; all were only by a single goal.
[sc:Soccer240banner ]Thankfully, Lionel Messi is having an outstanding World Cup thus far. After scoring the decisive goal in their first two matches against Bosnia & Herzegovina and Iran, Messi struck twice in the first half against Nigeria to give him four goals in the tournament, tied for most with Brazil’s Neymar. Argentina’s star man looks to be reaching his peak form just in time for the knockout round.
Messi will have to be on top of his game if his other two strike partners keep misfiring. Touted as one of if not the most feared frontline in the World Cup, Gonzalo Higuain and Sergio Aguero have looked well off the pace thus far in the tournament.
Aguero could be a doubt for Switzerland after being subbed off against Nigeria with an apparent injury, which may be a blessing in disguise for Coach Alejandro Sabella. Ezequiel Lavezzi, who has subbed in for Aguero in each of the last two games, is more direct and possesses more speed than Aguero. Speed and directness are qualities which can exploit a Swiss team whose fullbacks love to go forward.
Defending continues to be a concern, as they allowed Nigeria to equalize not once, but twice. Midfielders Javier Mascherano, Fernando Gago and Angel Di Maria will be crucial in not allowing their fullbacks to get overrun on the wings.
With the World Cup getting into the business end of the tournament, get a move on and create a betting account right now in time for the very exciting knockout round.
Betting on Switzerland
Switzerland sealed progress to the Round of 16 in style with a comfortable 3-0 win over Honduras. The diminutive Xherdan Shaqiri supplied all the firepower with an impressive hat-trick, the second one in this tournament.
The Swiss most probably won’t be as adventurous against Argentina as they were with Honduras. They’ll likely opt to defend deep and break quickly on the counterattack, which they have the personnel to do with devastating effect.
It starts with their hat-trick hero, Shaqiri. The tricky winger will likely be in direct opposition to Argentina leftback Marco Rojo, a natural centerback who is arguably the team’s weak link. Shaqiri’s pace and ability should tilt that particular matchup to Switzerland’s favor.
Speaking of the wings, both of Switzerland’s fullbacks, Stephan Lichtsteiner and Ricardo Rodriguez, are major threats going forward. If Lichtsteiner in particular can offer decent support alongside Shaqiri, they should be able to overload the left side of Argentina’s defense and create a much bigger advantage.
However, the Swiss must also be wary of their own defense. Central defender Steve von Bergen is gone for the tournament with a broken face, and his exit led to their 5-2 demolition at the hands of France. And with Messi in top form, captain Gokhan Inler will need to provide sufficient support from midfield to keep Messi in check.
Writer’s Prediction
The Swiss find a hole in Argentina’s defense and score, but Argentina’s non-Messi players finally step up to help their star striker get the win.
