Argentina is favored to progress past Switzerland to continue its World Cup title defense in the semifinals, but center backs Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martínez are aware that a third consecutive poor defensive performance could easily result in La Albiceleste’s elimination on Saturday night.
After conceding only once during a perfect group stage, the knockout rounds have somewhat exposed Argentina’s leaky defense. Cabo Verde and Egypt combined to score four against the reigning champion over the last two games, forcing Argentina to dig-deep and pull-off miraculous escapes to keep its title defense alive.
