​Switzerland captain Granit Xhaka urged fans to keep dreaming as he prepared to lead his side against Lionel Messi’s Argentina in the World Cup quarter-finals on Saturday. The Sunderland midfielder said Switzerland’s overarching aim was to defeat the defending champions and reach the semi-finals for the first time in their history. “Regarding the fans, keep dreaming. I am a person who always dreams, and dreams can come true,” Xhaka told a pre-match press conference in Kansas City. “And if we want to fulfil our dreams, you need to work, you need to sweat, you need to give it 100 percent. And sometimes you need to do something new. You really need to push your limits if you want to beat Argentina. And I’m convinced my team is ready.”
On the Messi factor, the first question at Arrowhead Stadium’s media conference, also attended by coach Murat Yakin, was how Switzerland would stop the tournament’s joint-leading scorer with eight goals. “Tomorrow, on the pitch, we will perform as a unit,” Yakin said. “We will try to play passes, press high against Argentina, who are the reigning champions. Obviously, we will try to do the work on the pitch. We can talk a lot, but in the end, it has to really translate on the pitch. And we do have our solutions.”
Xhaka conceded that corralling Messi for the entire 90 minutes would be unlikely, describing it as a difficult task. “I don’t know if we can stop him over 90 minutes,” he said. “It is going to be difficult. However, we have to be very smart. We’ll have to be compact, close the gaps, not give him too many spaces. We will try, obviously, to play in position. When we have the ball, he won’t be able to act as much.”
The Swiss captain, aged 33, said the match would be one of the highlights of his career, which has included spells with Arsenal and Bayer Leverkusen. Switzerland have reached the World Cup quarter-finals three times, but not since 1954, when they hosted the tournament. “After 72 years, to be able to be here with Switzerland and to play against a reigning champion, it just makes me very proud,” Xhaka said. “But I am not here to talk. I want to take the next steps. And we are very close to the end and I am yearning for it. I am hungry and now we just need to show how much we really want it on the pitch. We are very well prepared and we need to showcase our mentality and I am sure that we can really bother Argentina.”
Yakin dampened fears that Argentina had benefited from favorable refereeing at the tournament after Egypt filed a complaint following their last-16 defeat by the South Americans. Nevertheless, the Swiss coach stressed the importance of standing firm against a tough, physical opponent. “Argentina are very smart,” he said. “Every single duel, for example, is very strong. They really go in hard. There is a lot of passion.” He added that his side would not be overawed and would focus on their own plan to challenge the champions on Saturday.