On the other side, Switzerland.

Yes, the final quarterfinal match tonight could hardly seem a bigger mismatch. Argentina has the glitz and the glamor, to say nothing of the stars and the trophies, while the Swiss have never even reached the World Cup semifinals; in fact, they haven’t been to the quarterfinals since 1954, when they lost to Austria in a tournament they hosted.

But anything can happen on the field as Argentina and the rest of the world learned when the three-time champions struggled to beat Cape Verde, and when La Albiceleste had to rally from a 2-0 deficit in the final 11 minutes to beat Egypt on Tuesday. And that has given hope to a Switzerland team that beat Colombia on penalty kicks to earn a date with the Argentines at Arrowhead Stadium.

“We know Argentina has many fine qualities. Few talk about the Swiss qualities,” defensive midfielder and team captain Granit Xhaka said Friday. “Tomorrow we will talk on the pitch, and we will show what we can do, and everything else doesn’t matter.”

Norway's Erling Haaland smiles during a news conference ahead of their quarterfinal World Cup soccer match against England. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

The winner will play either Norway or England on Wednesday in Atlanta for a spot in the World Cup final.

“It’s obviously a very tough challenge,” Switzerland defender Manuel Akanji said, “but I think we’re ready. I think we can play against any opponent and make it hard for them. We know it’s going to be difficult but we’re going to give our best.”

Everything starts on defense for Switzerland, which has allowed only three goals in five matches, and which shut out Luis Díaz and Colombia for 120 minutes in the round of 16. The job of stopping Messi’s charmed World Cup will fall on the shoulders of Xhaka and Akanji, along with Remo Freuler, Nico Elvedi and goalkeeper Gregor Kobel.

Meanwhile, La Albiceleste is riding an 11-match World Cup unbeaten streak dating to 2022 in Qatar, and they’ve scored multiple goals in each of those games, which ties them with Uruguay for the longest such streak in tournament history.

Messi, who had a hat trick against Algeria in a group match at Arrowhead Stadium, is even with France forward Kylian Mbappe with eight goals apiece in their race for the Golden Boot. The 39-year-old Argentina captain has scored a record 21 goals in his World Cup career, and that includes at least one in a record six consecutive knockout matches.

Messi’s goal against Egypt leveled the game in the 83rd minute before Enzo Fernández delivered the winner in stoppage time.

Argentina appears to be healthy going into the match, but Switzerland will once again be without midfielder Johan Manzabi because of a knee injury. The SC Freiburg star scored two goals in a 4-1 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina in the group stage.

Spain 2,

Belgium 1

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Mikel Merino is Spain’s World Cup hero once again, and even he finds it hard to believe.

A mere four days after Merino scored a clutch goal as a substitute in injury time to beat Portugal, he found himself in the right spot again in the quarterfinals when Belgium’s backup goalkeeper spilled the ball into his path.

Merino booted it home in the 88th minute, sending Spain to a 2-1 victory Friday and into a titanic semifinal showdown with tournament favorite France.

“I’ve done this again, and it’s happened to me again, so it would seem that coincidence exists,” a smiling Merino said. “If you’re ready and you try, I guess it can happen for you.”

Already a versatile contributor in any role he can get as a depth player for his country or English club Arsenal, the multi-positional Merino has transformed into the ultimate super-sub while providing exactly what Spain needed to survive two knockout matches against top opponents.

Merino has scored two goals in his first World Cup — and they’re both historic.

“Honestly, it’s crazy to be able to help the team once again,” he said. “This time in a different way, but at the same time to believe and trust that the opposing goalkeeper could make a mistake and to stay alert. … I prepare for when the moment comes, and hopefully they keep coming.”

England

vs. Norway

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Everyone knows that England’s master plan coming into the World Cup quarterfinals this afternoon will revolve around stopping Norway striker Erling Haaland.

As they would say in Norway, “Lykke til.” Translated: Good luck.

“Has anyone ever stopped Erling Haaland?” England midfielder Morgan Rogers asked, probably only somewhat rhetorically. “I’m not sure they have, but we’re going to try. You’re going to have to try.”

Stopping Haaland — who has seven goals in this year’s World Cup, one behind France’s Kylian Mbappé and Argentina’s Lionel Messi for the most at the tournament — will be the primary subplot of the Norway-England match at Hard Rock Stadium.

Among the others: Haaland versus England’s Harry Kane in a striker showdown, a Norway team with no pressure versus an England team with enormous expectations, even British Airways versus Norwegian Air in a social media chirping battle. At stake for the teams is a berth in Wednesday’s semifinals, with the winner to face either Argentina or Switzerland.

“I think it’s Norway vs. England,” Norway coach Ståle Solbakken said Friday, after his team went through its final walk-through before perhaps the biggest match in the nation’s soccer history. “But I don’t think it’s a secret that Kane is match-leader No. 1 for England and Haaland is match-leader No. 1 for us.”

Indeed, there are two elite strikers in this game — not just one. England coach Thomas Tuchel raved about Kane on Friday, and rightly so. Kane has six goals so far in this year’s World Cup.

“He’s in the shape of his life and in the highest peak of his career,” Tuchel said.

When Haaland — who stands nearly 6-foot-5 — gets the ball in his preferred spots, opponents realize that stopping him is almost out of the question. He’s too big, too strong, too skilled, and the ball is almost certainly going to find its way into the back of the net.

England’s Nico O’Reilly — Haaland’s teammate at Manchester City — has seen it happen time and again. And if there is a solution to the Haaland problem, O’Reilly might have the closest possible thing to an answer.

His plan: Don’t let the ball get to him.