Switzerland coach Ottmar Hitzfeld's brother dies just a day before World Cup clash with Argentina

Hitzfeld had earlier said that the World Cup last-16 match against Argentina would be the highlight of his career but will no doubt be affected by the passing of his brother

Ottmar Hitzfeld, coach of Switzerland, learned of his brother's passing on Monday night (Getty images)

Switzerland coach Ottmar Hitzfeld's brother has died on the eve of his side's World Cup last-16 clash with Argentina.

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The former Bayern Munich boss was informed about the death of his brother Winfried, 82, after he passed away at Basel University Hospital on Monday night.

Hitzfield, 65, was busy taking his side through the final stages of their match preparation before they take on Argentina in Sao Paulo on Tuesday.

The news will come as a big blow to the veteran coach, who had earlier spoken about how this game would be the highlight of his career, despite having seven Bundesliga titles to his name and winning the Champions League on two occasions.

"This will be a huge sporting challenge. It will definitely be a highlight of my career," he said in the pre-match conference on Monday.

“We have fulfilled a little dream getting to this stage. We want to go on fulfilling those dreams.

“As a coaching staff and a team, we have discussed how we will go on.

"We have already talked about what we will do in the quarter-final. So I don’t think it’s going to be my last match.”