Sweden saw off Germany on their way to the quarter-finals CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES
Sweden is the only thing that stands in the way of England's World Cup semi-final hopes. Here we take a look at their World Cup squad, their strengths and weaknesses, and everything else you need to know ahead of the quarter-final showdown.
Sweden's World Cup squad - the 23 names
Robin Olsen, Karl-Johan Johnsson, Kristoffer Nordfeldt, Mikael Lustig, Victor Lindelof, Andreas Granqvist, Martin Olsson, Ludwig Augustinsson, Filip Helander, Emil Krafth, Pontus Jansson, Sebastian Larsson, Albin Ekdal, Emil Forsberg, Gustav Svensson, Oscar Hiljemark, Viktor Claesson, Marcus Rohden, Jimmy Durmaz, Marcus Berg, John Guidetti, Ola Toivonen, Isaac Kiese Thelin.
How do they play?
Sweden is the only thing that stands in the way of England's World Cup semi-final hopes. Here we take a look at their World Cup squad, their strengths and weaknesses, and everything else you need to know ahead of the quarter-final showdown.
Sweden's World Cup squad - the 23 names
Robin Olsen, Karl-Johan Johnsson, Kristoffer Nordfeldt, Mikael Lustig, Victor Lindelof, Andreas Granqvist, Martin Olsson, Ludwig Augustinsson, Filip Helander, Emil Krafth, Pontus Jansson, Sebastian Larsson, Albin Ekdal, Emil Forsberg, Gustav Svensson, Oscar Hiljemark, Viktor Claesson, Marcus Rohden, Jimmy Durmaz, Marcus Berg, John Guidetti, Ola Toivonen, Isaac Kiese Thelin.
How do they play?
The retirement of Zlatan Ibrahimovic meant Sweden was forced to adopt a new tactical approach CREDIT: REUTERS
The retirement of Zlatan Ibrahimovic from international football meant a fundamental change in their approach. It was hard to be too cautious with one of the best strikers in the world demanding service but the flip side was that a more adventurous approach exposed other weaknesses through the team.
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No such worries now, where the first priority against good opposition is their defensive discipline. Every player is completely signed up to the game-plan and has a very clear understanding of their role. The system is largely 4-4-2, albeit with two hard-running and technically-limited strikers. Their banks of midfielders and defenders are compact, but do look to break quickly on the counter-attack.
Who are the key men?
The retirement of Zlatan Ibrahimovic from international football meant a fundamental change in their approach. It was hard to be too cautious with one of the best strikers in the world demanding service but the flip side was that a more adventurous approach exposed other weaknesses through the team.
Promoted Stories
No such worries now, where the first priority against good opposition is their defensive discipline. Every player is completely signed up to the game-plan and has a very clear understanding of their role. The system is largely 4-4-2, albeit with two hard-running and technically-limited strikers. Their banks of midfielders and defenders are compact, but do look to break quickly on the counter-attack.
Who are the key men?
Sweden captain Andreas Granqvist has scored important goals from the penalty spot CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES
Their centre-back and captain, Andreas Granqvist, who has been playing in Russia despite his wife due to give birth any day (she now has given birth), is naturally a huge influence, as is Victor Lindelof whose defensive performances so far at the World Cup have suggested that he could have a positive future at Manchester United.
Granqvist has already also scored two penalties in this tournament and the team has conceded only twice in four matches.
Through the team and it is the overall industry that is most striking but, in Emil Forsberg, they do have a player with the quality to create from deep while Viktor Claessen's passing has contributed two assists. They also still have Sebastian Larsson, suspended against Switzerland, whose dead-ball qualities are well known to Sunderland and Hull City fans.
Their centre-back and captain, Andreas Granqvist, who has been playing in Russia despite his wife due to give birth any day (she now has given birth), is naturally a huge influence, as is Victor Lindelof whose defensive performances so far at the World Cup have suggested that he could have a positive future at Manchester United.
Granqvist has already also scored two penalties in this tournament and the team has conceded only twice in four matches.
Through the team and it is the overall industry that is most striking but, in Emil Forsberg, they do have a player with the quality to create from deep while Viktor Claessen's passing has contributed two assists. They also still have Sebastian Larsson, suspended against Switzerland, whose dead-ball qualities are well known to Sunderland and Hull City fans.
Emil Forsberg is Sweden's main creative threat CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES
What odds are Sweden to win the World Cup?
See where Sweden's shirts end up in our ranking of all 64 World Cup shirts below:
Who's the coach and what's he like?
What odds are Sweden to win the World Cup?
See where Sweden's shirts end up in our ranking of all 64 World Cup shirts below:
Who's the coach and what's he like?
Straight-talking Janne Andersson CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES
Janne Andersson is a plain-speaking (if you can understand Swedish, like) no-frills gaffer who masterminded their playoff win over Italy.
An understated sort of character off the pitch but, on the touchline, he can become a surprisingly explosive presence. This was something Germany found out when he took exception to their celebrations and later admitted that he took no pleasure from seeing himself look like a “monster”.
He is generally diplomatic and quiet before matches, although you do have to wonder whether he was behind some of the pre-match mind-games against Switzerland that was so obviously aimed at unsettling Granit Xhaka.
He previously earned huge respect in Sweden for the way that he led IFK Norrköping to their first league title for 26 years in 2015, before replacing Eric Hamren as national team manager. Upon leading Sweden in the post-Zlatan era, he has been hugely effective at creating a team spirit that has made this squad greater than the sum of their parts.
Who's the star?
Emil Forsberg, an attacking midfielder with a gift for the killer pass, is an Arsenal target. Of course, he is. Haven’t they already got lots of him?
Janne Andersson is a plain-speaking (if you can understand Swedish, like) no-frills gaffer who masterminded their playoff win over Italy.
An understated sort of character off the pitch but, on the touchline, he can become a surprisingly explosive presence. This was something Germany found out when he took exception to their celebrations and later admitted that he took no pleasure from seeing himself look like a “monster”.
He is generally diplomatic and quiet before matches, although you do have to wonder whether he was behind some of the pre-match mind-games against Switzerland that was so obviously aimed at unsettling Granit Xhaka.
He previously earned huge respect in Sweden for the way that he led IFK Norrköping to their first league title for 26 years in 2015, before replacing Eric Hamren as national team manager. Upon leading Sweden in the post-Zlatan era, he has been hugely effective at creating a team spirit that has made this squad greater than the sum of their parts.
Who's the star?
Emil Forsberg, an attacking midfielder with a gift for the killer pass, is an Arsenal target. Of course, he is. Haven’t they already got lots of him?
What are their strengths?
Sweden is renowned for having a wonderful team spirit CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES
They are defensively very difficult to break down, aerially strong and have a wonderful team spirit. They are also very patient, which makes them especially dangerous against teams who themselves want to counter-attack. This was evident in the match against Mexico when they forced their opponents to play differently to how they wanted and then punished the spaces that were left behind them.
Their growing collective confidence against the big boys is also now a big factor in their favor after eliminating Holland in qualification, Italy in the playoffs and then indirectly Germany in the group phase and now Switzerland out here in Russia.
They are defensively very difficult to break down, aerially strong and have a wonderful team spirit. They are also very patient, which makes them especially dangerous against teams who themselves want to counter-attack. This was evident in the match against Mexico when they forced their opponents to play differently to how they wanted and then punished the spaces that were left behind them.
Their growing collective confidence against the big boys is also now a big factor in their favor after eliminating Holland in qualification, Italy in the playoffs and then indirectly Germany in the group phase and now Switzerland out here in Russia.
And their weaknesses?
Sweden have limited attacking options in the absence of Zlatan Ibrahimovic CREDIT: REUTERS
Sweden's attacking on-field limitations are most obvious. Of their two strikers, Ola Toivonen does not even play regularly for Toulouse and Marcus Berg, who missed several excellent first-half chances, has had more shots than any other players at this World Cup without scoring and currently plays his football in the United Arab Emirates.
Perhaps it was an expectation that they would be playing at a different venue or perhaps not playing at all. Whatever the reason, it was also striking just how many empty seats there were around the entire St Petersburg Stadium at kick-off. The Sweden fans were then loudly in the ascendancy but the atmosphere was more of a carnival than anything especially intimidating for an opponent.
The best thing about them
Solid defense: Manchester United’s Victor Lindelof, Pontus Jansson of Leeds, Swansea’s Martin Olsson, and Celtic full-back Mikael Lustig.
The worst thing about them
They will likely play a 442 and tend toward the predictable. Don’t have the pace up front to trouble any serious opponent.
You may recognize…
The painful absence of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, although there is a suspicion that the coach is now sleeping a little more easily without the Z-Man's massive ego to manage.
Cameramen will be picking out…
The fans, who range from the very good-looking all the way up to the extremely ridiculously good-looking.
Fans' favorite chant
Sung ‘Always Look on the Bright Side of Life' to Italy after a play-off.
Related Spain VS Russia
Sweden's attacking on-field limitations are most obvious. Of their two strikers, Ola Toivonen does not even play regularly for Toulouse and Marcus Berg, who missed several excellent first-half chances, has had more shots than any other players at this World Cup without scoring and currently plays his football in the United Arab Emirates.
Perhaps it was an expectation that they would be playing at a different venue or perhaps not playing at all. Whatever the reason, it was also striking just how many empty seats there were around the entire St Petersburg Stadium at kick-off. The Sweden fans were then loudly in the ascendancy but the atmosphere was more of a carnival than anything especially intimidating for an opponent.
The best thing about them
Solid defense: Manchester United’s Victor Lindelof, Pontus Jansson of Leeds, Swansea’s Martin Olsson, and Celtic full-back Mikael Lustig.
The worst thing about them
They will likely play a 442 and tend toward the predictable. Don’t have the pace up front to trouble any serious opponent.
You may recognize…
The painful absence of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, although there is a suspicion that the coach is now sleeping a little more easily without the Z-Man's massive ego to manage.
Cameramen will be picking out…
The fans, who range from the very good-looking all the way up to the extremely ridiculously good-looking.
Fans' favorite chant
Sung ‘Always Look on the Bright Side of Life' to Italy after a play-off.
Related Spain VS Russia
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