Coach Murat Yakin said on Friday that Switzerland will be without leading scorer Johan Manjambi in the World Cup quarter-final against Argentina on Saturday (Bangladesh time Sunday), in a blow for the Swiss as they prepare to face the defending champions in Kansas City.
Mzambi, who has three goals and two assists in the tournament, also missed Switzerland’s penalty shootout win over Colombia in the last 16 due to a knee injury and Yakin said the midfielder had failed to recover in time.
“We tried everything we could to get him back, unfortunately he is unable to perform tomorrow,” Yakin said.
“Johan Mzambi is in a lot of pain. It was a shock for all of us. The momentum was in his favor, and it’s a great joy when he plays football.”
Captain Granit Xhaka dismissed suggestions Switzerland, who have made the quarter-finals for the first time in 72 years, were preoccupied with eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi, insisting they were focused on upsetting Argentina.
Former Germany goalkeeper Jens Lehmann raised eyebrows this week when he claimed on German television that Swiss players had “too much respect” for Messi and wanted to leave the game with only the Argentina captain’s shirt.
“We can’t influence what people say about us,” Xhaka told reporters on Friday. “The only thing we can do is that we can perform and show what we can do on the pitch. Nothing else matters.”
Yakin suggested that the best way to limit Messi’s influence was to deny him possession entirely. “He’s not going to be able to perform as well when we have the ball,” he said. “We just try to play our game and not let him play the ball.
“There are many solutions, and we try to find the best solution. Tomorrow, on the pitch, we will perform as a unit. We will try to play good passes, put pressure against the defending champions Argentina team.”
Xhaka, 33, on Saturday celebrated one of the defining moments of his career with Switzerland, who last reached the World Cup quarter-finals in 1954.
“It will be the highlight of my career really,” said the Sunderland midfielder. “Every moment you can do something special, it feels different.
“Now after 72 years, to come here with Switzerland and play against the defending champions, it makes me feel very proud.
“But I’m not here to talk. I want to take the next step, and we’re very close to the end. I’m craving it, I’m hungry and now we just need to show how much we really want it on the pitch.”
Xhaka was in the Switzerland squad that lost 1–0 to Argentina after extra time in the last-16 at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, but he does not see the rematch as a chance to even the score.
“This is not revenge. This is a completely different match,” he said. “Now we’re in the quarterfinals, and we want to win. That’s our overarching goal.”
“About the (Swiss) fans: Keep dreaming. I’m a person who always dreams, and dreams can come true. If we want to fulfill our dreams, you have to work, you have to sweat, you have to push your limits if you want to beat Argentina.”
The Swiss are also not concerned about the hot conditions forecast for Kansas City, dismissing any notion that it could favor the Argentine team that has been in the Missouri city throughout the tournament.
“When you’re in the quarter-finals, you don’t really care about the weather,” Xhaka said. “There is no excuse.”