Sweden World Cup profile: Ones to watch, best bets and more
It's a low-key Sweden side without Zlatan Ibrahimovic this year, but they've a rich World Cup history to uphold in Russia.
Sweden Factfile
- FIFA World Ranking: 25
- World Cup appearances: 11
- Sky Bet outright winner odds: 150/1
- Best Bet: Sweden to finished second – 2/1
- Best World Cup finish: Runners-up (1958)
- Nickname: Blagult (The Blue and Yellows)
Coach - Janne Andersson: He's a well-travelled Swedish coach having taken charge of fourth-tier Alets IK, before then coaching Laholms FK, Halmstads, Orgryte and Norrkoping - who he led to the 2015 Swedish title.
Legend - Zlatan Ibrahimovic: Zlatan is among the world's biggest stars and as such deserves to be a Swedish legend. He's won league titles everywhere he's played and has done it with a swagger and style that has brought him an army of fans - he really did put Sweden on the map.
Star Man - Adreas Granqvist: He's not a household name in Europe but Sweden's Player of the Year in 2017 captain's the team as a rock solid dedender in the heart of their defence. He'll be Sweden's leader in Russia.
Did you know? Brazil are Sweden's arch enemy in World Cups, as they've met the Samba stars seven times over the years and never managed to win - losing five and drawing two.
Fun Fact: Sweden are actually one of the most successful teams outside of the big guns, having reached four World Cup semi-finals, winning one when finishing as runners-up on home soil in 1958 when they lost the final to, guess who? Yep, Brazil.
Qualifying: The Swedes secured their place in Russia after a 1-0 aggregate victory over Italy in the European play-offs, having finished runners-up to France in Group A.
Fixtures: South Korea (1pm, June 18, Nizhny Novgorod), Germany (7pm, June 23, Sochi), Mexico (3pm, June 27, Ekaterinburg)
Sweden squad
Goalkeepers: Robin Olsen (Copenhagen), Karl-Johan Johnsson (Guingamp), Kristoffer Nordfeldt (Swansea).
Defenders: Mikael Lustig (Celtic), Victor Lindelof (Manchester United), Andreas Granqvist (Krasnador), Martin Olsson (Swansea), Ludwig Augustinsson (Werder Bremen), Filip Helander, Emil Krafth (both Bologna), Pontus Jansson (Leeds United).
Midfielders: Sebastian Larsson (Hull), Albin Ekdal (Hamburg), Emil Forsberg (RB Leipzig), Gustav Svensson (Seattle Sounders), Oscar Hiljemark (Genoa), Viktor Claesson (Krasnador), Marcus Rohden (Crotone), Jimmy Durmaz (Toulouse).
Forwards: Marcus Berg (Al Ain), John Guidetti (Alaves), Ola Toivonen (Toulouse), Isaac Kiese Thelin (Waasland-Beveren).
Sweden Profile
The Swedes have been as high as second in the FIFA World Ranking during their 1994 glory years, but in a group containing Germany they're bascially playing for second place.
They're 6/1 to top Group F as a result.
Current manager Janne Andersson has been in charge is June 2016. He has a 50% win record.
Sweden will be closely watched this summer as a result of Zlatan Ibrahimovic not being in the squad. He'd retired from representing Sweden after Euro 2016 but had hinted at making a comeback for the World Cup.
The Swedish FA ruled out that prospect though, being happy to stick with the team that got them to Russia and leaving the new LA Galaxy star out.
Who to watch out for
RB Leipzig’s Emil Forsberg provides the attacking threat with skill and technical ability in abundance. The 26-year-old was voted Swedish Midfielder of the Year in 2014, 2016 and 2017.
Adreas Granqvist captains the side as a commanding centre-half, with Hull City’s Seb Larsson being his experienced vice-captain.
How did they qualify?
Zlatan retiring was a huge blow for the nation as their leader, best player and footballing icon, but coach Andersson has to take great credit for developing more of a team ethic.
They're built on a solid base with a counter-attacking style, which they showcased in a 1-1 draw with the Netherlands in qualifying.
They showed great spirit to come back from a goal down to beat France 2-1 in injury time, and although they lost top spot to the French they still managed to pip the Dutch to second spot and a play-off place.
Beating Italy in the play-off capped off a strong performance against some top European opposition, and all without Zlatan.
Any interesting facts about Sweden?
Sweden is a Scandinavian country, neighbouring Finland and Norway. The countries are known for their high standards of living and chilly winters. The northern lights can also periodically be seen from these locations.
Their currency is the Krona, despite Sweden being a member of the European Union. This is often referred to when mentioning Sweden’s thriving economy.
Sweden is similar to the UK in having a head of state in the form of King Carl XVI Gustaf, who represents the country in a similar fashion to the Queen in the UK.
Sweden are renowned for being inventive, boasting a range of technologically advanced and innovative companies. A few examples of modern companies are Skype and Spotify.
Any famous football moments?
Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s performance to beat England in 2012 will go down in Swedish history. His four goals, including a spectacular overhead-kick stunned the English as Sweden won 4-2 in Stockholm.
Sweden’s best World Cup performance came in 1958, where they agonisingly lost to Brazil 5-2 in the final. Their route included a 2-0 win over the Soviet Union in the quarter-finals before a stunning 3-1 win over West Germany in the semis.
Sweden also made it to the semi-finals in the World Cup in 1994, before reaching the same stage two years later in the European Championships. This led to their highest FIFA ranking of second in the world two years later.