Manzambi is out. Argentina have conceded four in two games.

The one who is not coming

Manzambi hurt his knee in training, missed the round-of-16 win over Colombia, and on Friday Yakin confirmed he will miss the quarterfinal too.

The numbers explain why the coach used the word he used. In 200 minutes on the pitch, Manzambi scored three goals and set up two more, and Switzerland averaged 3.6 goals and 2.2 xG per 90 with him on it. In 280 minutes without him, they have scored once and averaged 1.4 xG per 90. His two goals against Bosnia-Herzegovina turned their tournament around. Without him in the last round, they had to survive 120 goalless minutes against Colombia and win on penalties.

"It was a real shock," Yakin said. "He had momentum on his side. You could see the joy with which he was playing and also how his teammates responded... Unfortunately, he can't play. That's very painful, but we'll absorb that as a team."

Luca Jaquez is also out with a muscle problem. Argentina report no injuries.

The champions cannot keep the ball out

And yet Argentina are the ones being asked awkward questions. They kept clean sheets against Algeria and Austria and conceded once to Jordan in the group stage. Then the knockouts arrived and the defence stopped working: 3-2 against Cape Verde in extra time, 3-2 against Egypt after trailing by two goals with twelve minutes left, saved by Enzo Fernandez in the last minute.

"We've conceded four goals in our recent matches. Conceding goals bothers us," Cristian Romero said on Friday — the same Romero whose goal started the comeback against Egypt.

"We don't like conceding goals, and we definitely need to be a little more focused," Lisandro Martinez added. "It's part of the game, it's better that it happens now."

Martinez also said something about Saturday's opponent that Argentina's supporters may not want to hear: "Switzerland didn't make it easy for Colombia at all. In my view, Switzerland dominated the entire game."

So which flaw decides it

This is the shape of the tie now. A team that concedes against a team that cannot score. Argentina are unbeaten in their last 11 World Cup matches, the longest run in their history, and are trying to become the first country ever to retain the trophy — in what is almost certainly Lionel Messi's final World Cup. Switzerland are in the quarterfinals for the first time since 1954, and a win would take them to a first semifinal ever.

The history is one-sided: seven meetings, five Argentina wins, two draws, no Swiss victory. The last one was the 2014 round of 16, settled by Angel Di Maria in the 118th minute from a Messi pass. Two men on that pitch will be on this one — Granit Xhaka and Ricardo Rodriguez.

"After 12 years we're standing here again -- with Ricky, with myself," Xhaka said. "We know that this is a new, completely different Switzerland, with a different mentality, with a different generation. Football in Switzerland has improved."

What to watch when it kicks off

Watch who Yakin puts in Manzambi's place, and whether that player runs in behind or drops in to make Switzerland harder to break. Watch the first Argentine mistake at the back — they have made one in every knockout game, and Switzerland only need the one. And watch the clock: if Switzerland are still level at the hour mark, having conceded nothing, the pressure moves onto the champions, who have already shown what they do when a game refuses to open. Kickoff is 10:00 JST on July 12 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. The winner goes to Atlanta on July 15 to face Norway or England.