Preview: Sweden vs. Serbia – prediction, team news, lineups
Sports Mole previews Saturday’s friendly clash between Sweden and Serbia, including predictions, team news, and possible lineups.
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p class=”firstPara”>Both teams are looking to recover from midweek friendly defeats as Sweden and Serbia face off at the Friends Arena in Solna on Saturday. Sweden lost 2-1 to Denmark in their last match, while Serbia also suffered a 2-1 defeat against Austria.
Match preview
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Newly-appointed Sweden head coach Jon Dahl Tomasson faces a tough challenge as his team takes on his home country. Despite Alexander Isak equalizing for Sweden after an early goal by Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Christian Eriksen’s late goal secured the win for Denmark.
Sweden’s recent performances have been inconsistent, with wins and losses alternating in their last four matches. They failed to qualify for Euro 2024 but are now aiming for Nations League promotion.
Serbia, on the other hand, will be competing in Euro 2024 and will face tough competition in their group. Despite their loss to Austria, they have a strong attacking lineup led by Dusan Vlahovic, Aleksandar Mitrovic, and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.
The Eagles have had mixed results in their recent matches but they will be looking to build momentum heading into the Euros. They had a convincing victory over Sweden in the 2022-23 Nations League, winning both home and away matches.
Team News
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Swedish defender Hjalmar Ekdal suffered a hamstring injury in a recent match and will not be available for the upcoming game. Victor Lindelof and Isak Hien are expected to continue their partnership in defense for Sweden.In the recent game, Ludwig Augustinsson wasn’t available, so Jens Cajuste filled in at left-back and Niclas Eliasson made his debut. However, Nemanja Maksimovic suffered an injury in the last game and may miss out. This could open up opportunities for Sasa Lukic, Lazar Samardzic, or Ivan Ilic to step in. Mitrovic might start upfront instead of Vlahovic.
Sweden’s expected lineup: Olsen; Krafth, Hien, Lindelof, Cajuste; Olsson, Larsson; Kukusevski, Forsberg, Elanga; Isak
Serbia’s expected lineup: Rajkovic; Spajic, Milenkovic, Gudelj, Pavlovic; Ilic, Milinkovic-Savic; Zivkovic, Tadic, Birmancevic; Mitrovic
With both teams having strong attackers, a 1-1 draw is predicted for the match. Serbia tends to bounce back after defeats but might struggle to secure a win on Swedish turf. Sweden showed promise in their recent game against Denmark and could aim for a draw, which would be an improvement from their previous encounters in the Nations League with Serbia. For more detailed match analysis, click here.
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