SWEDEN
LIKELY TEAM (4-4-2): Olsson, Lustig, Granqvist, Lindelof, Augustinsson, Claesson, Svensson, Ekdal, Forsberg, Berg, Toivonen
- Sweden have finished third on two separate occasions (1950 & 1994) while they were runner up to Brazil and teen sensation, Pele in 1958
- This will be Sweden's 50th game at the World Cup, becoming the 11th team to reach that tally, only Mexico have featured in more games without winning the tournament
Sweden have been transformed since Zlatan Ibrahimovic quit and are now facing Switzerland in the last 16 under the angry yet understated leadership of Janne Andersson. Once Ibra (and the coach Erik Harmen) left, Sweden had to change. They could no longer rely on a world-class player, so they turned to the only thing that could bring success: the collective. Andersson, who had taken the unfancied IFK Norrköping to the Swedish title in 2015, was appointed as Hamren’s successor the following year and has had a clear plan: build from the back and demand that his players work hard for each other. somehow he has got them to the last 16 of a World Cup, where they face Switzerland on Tuesday. What they lack in star names (apart from maybe RB Leipzig’s Emil Forsberg) they make up for in experience, tactical intelligence and snideness.
The two forwards are Marcus Berg, who plays for Al Ain in the United Arab Emirates and Ola Toivonen, who doesn’t play for Toulouse. Toivonen is a master of the dark arts and makes Uruguay's Luis Suarez look like an amateur with some of his carry on. Indeed 21 out of all 37 Sweden shots so far have been from both Forsberg and Berg without yielding a single goal. The key midfielder has been Sebastian Larsson, who was relegated with Sunderland in 2017 and spent last season with Hull City in the Championship (although he is suspended for the game against Switzerland). The quality of the players should not, on paper, have been enough to beat the Netherlands in their qualifying group, nor Italy in the play-offs, but it did. In Russia they have overcome obstacles too. The midfielder Jimmy Durmaz was racially abused online after giving away a late free-kick against Germany but that only made the players’ bond stronger. This is all about the group now, not the individual. Andersson is a fascinating character, his calm exterior belying a furious temper. He was incensed by how some Germany staff behaved after the 2-1 defeat, running to the Sweden bench to clap in their faces, and his spark has transmitted itself to the players.
Robin Olsen has been one of best goalkeepers in this summer's tournament and following Sweden's climax in the torunament will complete a move away from FC Copenhagen. Captain, top scorer and penalty taker Andreas Granqvist is a man you would take to the trenches but may yet have a decision to make about his own availability in Saint Petersburg, with his wife Sophie due to give birth on the same day as the match against Switzerland. The captain recently said Sweden will be inspired by the giants' fall so far in this World Cup and is optimistic of their chances reaching the last eight. He is partnered by Manchester United defender; Victor Lindelof who seems to grow six inches when he puts on that yellow jersey and has been outstanding in performances against Germany and Mexico. They are flanked to the right by Celtic cult hero; Mikael Lustig and Weder Bremen regular; Ludwig Augustinsson who has a wand of a left foot.
After a glance at their FIFA World Ranking, we can see that Sweden once again arrive as underdogs, and the players know it. It’s a situation they’ve come not only to accept but enjoy. The defence will once again be key, but scoring three goals against Mexico was an important display of just how effective and dangerous they can be. The team is harmonious, going into the match with nothing to lose and their desire to keep the World Cup journey alive is huge.
In a summer where politics and forest fires have reigned supreme Andersson and his men will be hoping that they will be the ones providing the sparks against the Swiss in St.Petersburg on Tuesday evening.
SWITZERLAND
LIKELY TEAM (4-2-3-1): Sommer, Lang, Djorou, Okanji, Rodriguez, Behrami, Xhaka, Shaqiri, Dzemaili,, Zuber, Drmic
- Reached the quarter finals twice previously in 1954 (when they hosted the event) and 1966
- Despite meeting 29 times in the last 98 years, with the Swiss edging the record with 11 wins to ten, this is the first time the sides have ever met at a major international competition
- The last Swiss manager to guide them to a win over Sweden was Roy Hodgson in 1994
Unfortunately one cannot begin discussing Switzerland without explaining the fallout from the recent game against Serbia. Being part of a World Cup of complex loyalties Switzerland have one of the highest proportion of foreign players in the 2018 World Cup as around 65% of their squad has connections to other nations. Coach Vladimir Petkovic in fact speaks fluently all four languages spoken in Switzerland. The geopolitics bubbling just below the surface have become more complex, and nationalisms can be seen decoupling from flags. Last Monday week, FIFA, fined Granit Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri, 10,000 Swiss francs ($10,100) each for making a political gesture after scoring goals in a game Switzerland won 2-1 against Serbia : They crossed their hands and spread their fingers to depict the double-headed eagle of Skanderbeg, which adorns the flag of Albania and the presidential standard of Kosovo. Three players on the Swiss squad, Xhaka, Shaqiri and Valon Behrami, were actually born in Kosovo, which Serbia doesn’t recognize as a separate nation. They’re ethnically Albanian. But neither Albania nor Kosovo – a FIFA member only since 2016 — made it to the World Cup, and their fans feel they are represented by Switzerland.
The Swiss have made a habit of starting badly in their matches so far, so the very last thing they will want is for that trend to continue against Sweden. They know that Sweden will bring physical strength, so they will want to dominate the game right from the start. Both captain Stephen Lichtsteiner and stalwart Fabian Schar miss out due to suspension and the feeling from both the Swiss camp and fans is that they will be sorely missed. It will be interesting to see if Lang and Djourou slot seamlessly into the back four to cover for their suspended team-mates. Djourou will be paired with Dortmund's latest recuit; Manuel Okanji who has been one of the best young players in Russia to date. Ac Milan's Ricardo Rodriguez will fill the left back position and will prove a source of danger to the Swedes with his overlapping runs and set piece deliveries. Save from his own goal versus Costa Rica, goalkeeper Yann Sommer is as reliable as they come and has experience playing at the highest level.
As much as Granit Xhaka & co. have taken heart from landing in the easier side of the draw and the unpredictable nature of this World Cup, the overall sensation is one of immense pressure to push through the football nation's historic glass ceiling at last. The "Nati" have not made it to the final eight of a big tournament since 1954, when the World Cup was staged in their home country and only comprised of 16 teams, and have never gone beyond that point. After three unsuccessful attempts to make it to the quarterfinals in 12 years ; they were knocked out by Ukraine on penalties in 2006, fell victim to a goal from Angel Di Maria in 2014 and lost a shootout to Poland at the Euros two years ago further disappointment would not be well received at all. If they don't deliver now that the competition has opened up and that key players such as Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri are at the peak of their powers, folks back home might not forgive them. Given their tendency to absorb pressure they have failed to develop any real patterns of play and save for Shaqiri's effort versus the Serbs have rarely put together many successful counter attacks. Vladimir Petkovic is still unsure who his go to striker is. Haris Seferovic provides little end product, Breel Embolo is erratic at best while both Mario Gavranovic and Josip Drmic are untested at this level. A title of sorts is truly at stake in the shadow of the Gazprom tower. The result of this match will decide whether the Swiss will indeed break the mould to enter the history books as the golden generation, or merely come away with inverted commas instead.
WHERE GAME WILL BE WON
In a contest between two nations where several players have had their identities called into question, their commitment is without doubt. Tuesday's battle promises to be a tight, titanic affair with neither side offering the opposition an inch. Sweden have been ruthlessly efficient so far in this tournament and won't need two bites at the cherry while although Switzerland do lack a cutting edge they do have the likes of Xherdan Shaqiri and Breel Embolo who are both masters of producing something out of nothing. Janne Andersson and Vladimir Petkovic have both schooled their sets of players in executing their similar game plans. In a game of few mistakes it will be a test on Tuesday evening as to who blinks first.
PREDICTION
The loss of Lichtsteiner and Schar will prove detrimental to the Swiss coupled with their lack of a focal point up top. Each Swedish player that will take to the field will have been tutored by Andersson thousands of times on how to do their job to within an inch of their lives. That level of attention to detail may just be enough to see the Swedes advance to Saturday's quarter final.
Sweden 1 - 0 Switzerland