History in the World Cup
Sweden used to World Cup regulars, having made 11 previous appearances but that status has changed. They finished in third place in in 1950 & 1994 and in fourth place in 1938. However, they have not made it past the Round of 16 since the 1994 tournament in the United States. The Swedes can boast of a genuine history with the competition, but, their last appearance came at the Germany '06 edition - 12 years ago.
Current Form
If you thought that you-know-who's absence would weaken the Swedes, you thought wrong. Their qualifying campaign was excellent- six wins, a draw and three losses in a group that had Netherlands and France - but, they only just managed to gain a playoff spot by edging the Dutch out on goal difference. They then had to overcome a declining Italy in the playoffs, which they did without conceding a goal. They have shown a classic Swedish resoluteness and make up for a lack of flair with working that much harder.
Squad
Manager: Janne Anderson
Goalkeepers: Robin Olsen, Karl-Johan Johnsson, Kristoffer Nordfeldt
Defenders: Mikael Lustig, Victor Lindelof, Andreas Granqvist, Martin Olsson, Ludwig Augustinsson, Filip Helander, Emil Krafth, Pontus Jansson
Midfielders: Sebastian Larsson, Albin Ekdal, Emil Forsberg, Gustav Svensson, Oscar Hiljemark, Viktor Claesson, Marcus Rohden, Jimmy Durmaz
Forwards: Marcus Berg, John Guidetti, Ola Toivonen, Isaac Kiese Thelin
Danger Man
A big part of RB Leipzig finishing second in the 2016/17 Bundesliga season was key man, Emil Forsberg. Usually deployed on the left, he moves in field looking for the ball and to create for his team-mates. This season, Forsberg was hampered by injuries and could only create a meager 2 assists in 21 BuLi appearances, compared to his 19 assists in 30 games last year (2016/17). Forsberg is a make or break player in this Swedish system and they have no chance if the playmaker is not at the top of his game.
Current Rankings
FIFA : Current - 23
Highest - 2
ELO : Current - 20
Highest - 2
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