Sweden and South Korea begin their World Cup campaigns on Monday with a game that both will see as must win if they are to progress to the Round of 16.
Since Zlatan Ibrahimovic retired from international duty after Euro 2016, Sweden have had to adapt to life without their superstar, and many would argue it has lead to a stronger collective.
Coming second in their group in a qualifying campaign that included a 2-1 win over group winners France in Stockholm, Sweden then shocked 2006 winners Italy in the playoff round in November.
Resilient and compact, without their pony-tailed superstar/egomaniac, Sweden harbour genuine hopes of getting through this group.
REUTERS/Anton Vaganov
South Korea are the first team to stand in their way, and are a side that like Sweden were, are heavily relying on their one superstar. Son Heung-min has had another outstanding season at Tottenham, scoring 18 goals in all competitions.
With Son now 25 years old, South Korea will believe that this is the best chance they will have of seeing his absolute best on the world stage.
Last Time Out
Sweden 0-0 Peru [International Friendly]
Sweden elected to play two warm-up matches against teams that had also qualified for the finals in neighbours Denmark and then Peru. Both finished in stalemates and showed up their lack of prowess going forward.
The Swedes did feel they should have had a penalty though when Peru goalkeeper Pedro Gallese appeared to take out Viktor Claesson in the box. The referee however, waved play on.
Ola Toivonen wasted a good chance to take the lead, although Robin Olsen later had to be on his toes to deny Jefferson Farfan at the other end.
Senegal 2-0 South Korea [International Friendly]
It wasn’t the ideal preparation for the Koreans either, as they failed to beat Bolivia before losing pretty handily to Senegal behind closed doors in Austria.
REUTERS/Anton Vaganov
The Koreans struggled to create out-and-out chances, and were undone when Kim Young-gwon turned into his own net.
Their misery was compounded when Amiens striker Moussa Konate added a second in stoppage time from the penalty spot.
Sweden Lineup
Barring any late injuries, coach Janne Andersson is likely to start with exactly the same XI that drew 0-0 with Peru last week.
This means sticking with their tried and tested rigid 4-4-2, with experienced captain Andreas Granqvist partnering Manchester United’s Victor Lindelof at the back.
Sebastian Larsson, recently departed from England, will partner Albin Ekdal in a workmanlike midfield. Much of the creative burden will fall on the shoulders of Emil Forsberg to create chances for forwards Marcus Berg and Ola Toivonen.
South Korea Lineup
South Korea also favour a 4-4-2 system, allowing them to play both RB Salzburg’s Hwang Hee-chan alongside star player Son Heung-min upfront.
They possess quality on the flanks, with Lee Jae-sung one of the best players in the K-League, and the exciting 20-year-old Lee Seung-woo of Hellas Verona in Italy.
Swansea’s Ki Sung-yueng is a key figure in this team, with his all-action midfield performances vital for his country.
Three of the back four ply their trades in the K-League, with Jang-Hyun-soo playing in Japan for FC Tokyo.
Key Battle: Mikael Lustig (Sweden) vs Son-Heung-min (South Korea)
Right back Mikael Lustig has been a stalwart for his country for a long time, but age has shown signs of catching up with him in the last 12 months. The quality of his performances for Celtic have started to deteriorate rapidly.
Although deployed upfront for South Korea, if Son Heung-min can isolate Lustig one-on-one, he could get a lot of joy.
REUTERS/Lisi Niesner
It is rare to see two sides at this level both playing 4-4-2, so individual battles will have more of a bearing than usual in Nizhny Novgorod on Monday.
Son has scored 21 goals in 64 appearances for his country, including one at the last World Cup as a 21-year-old. He’ll be looking to add to that tally against the Swedes.
Talking Points
Do Sweden have enough firepower without Zlatan Ibrahimovic?
Marcus Berg and Ola Toivonen are both workmanlike forwards, but neither of them possess anything like the sort of quality that Zlatan Ibrahimovic did.
Berg managed an impressive eight goals in qualifying, although four came in one game against minnows Luxembourg.
REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin
Ibrahimovic’s retirement has brought a greater sense of collective to Sweden’s overall style of play and, frankly, they seem a more organised side without having to play to the LA Galaxy striker’s strengths, but is that at the risk of goals?
After 0-0 draws in both warmup friendlies, Berg and Toivonen will need to up their games and take whatever chances fall their way for Sweden to beat the Koreans and have a good chance of going through.
Can Son-Heung-min handle the pressure?
Son has put in absolutely brilliant performances alongside Christian Eriksen, Harry Kane and Dele Alli at Tottenham. When he plays for his national team however, the onus is solely on him to put in match-winning displays as the undisputed star.
In fact, South Korea go as far as playing a formation and style of football – the 4-4-2 – solely to benefit Son and how he plays at Tottenham, such is the dependance on him.
South Korea’s 2016 Rio Olympics campaign ended at the quarter final stage, with images of Son on the ground in floods of tears after missing a hatful of chances against Honduras.
They really don’t have anyone else of a similar level to call upon, so Son will have to produce those match-winning moments that he has been so good at conjuring up for Tottenham.
Prediction: Sweden 1-0 South Korea
Sweden will not be the most exhilarating team to watch at the 2018 World Cup, but they should have just about enough to navigate their way past the Koreans on matchday one.
The set pieces of Emil Forsberg will be important for the Swedes, and could help set up a winner for them on Monday afternoon.
Reuters/Ed Sykes
Swedish football and Zlatan Ibrahimovic have become synonymous over the last decade and, as such, a Swedish national side without the big striker is foreign even to many Swedes.
However, in recent years, other talents have surfaced and, while there is no replacing Ibrahimovic, there is a contingent who insist the national team as a whole performs better in his absence.
Yet despite these flashes of promise from within the Swedish squad, the nation made harder work of their route into the finals in Russia than they might have liked to, only assuring their qualification through a famous play-off against World Cup regulars, Italy.
Of course, with France in their qualifying group, the second-place finish could be forgiven. However, the fact that the Swedes only finished ahead of the Netherlands on goal difference would suggest they were cutting it a little fine.
There is a sense, then, that Sweden are something of an unknown quantity coming into this competition.
How will they perform without the man known affectionately as ‘Zlatan’? Will their forward have enough going forward to cause opposition defences any problems?
These questions will only be answered in the course of the World Cup group stages.
Road to Russia
With 19 points in ten games in a group featuring France, the Netherlands, Bulgaria, Luxembourg and Belarus, Sweden finished second to Deschamps’ Les Bleus.
Their goal difference of +17 was the best in the group and also what finally put them ahead of the Netherlands with whom they were tied with on points.
Coincidentally, +17 was also Sweden’s total goal difference across the four games against Belarus and Luxembourg. Every game counts.
Coming up against Italy in the play-offs, it looked as though the Scandinavian team’s luck was up. However, a 1-0 victory in Stockholm followed by a 0-0 result in Rome proved to be enough to take Janne Andersson’s team through into the finals in Russia.
Starting XI
Sweden play in an increasingly rare 4-4-2 which makes the most of their two strikers, Marcus Berg and Ola Toivonen.
While there are questions about how prolific this pairing can be, both of whom picked up the majority of their goals in World Cup qualifying against weaker sides, Janne Andersson seems convinced of the wisdom of this approach.
With Sebastian Larsson playing in a midfield two, his partner, Jakob Johansson, will be aware of the former’s advancing years. Johansson, then will have to make sure he offers cover in the midfield area for the Swedish captain.
Elsewhere, Mikael Lustig sits on the right-hand side of a back four which includes Victor Lindelof, the Manchester United player who has had a tough first season at the English club.
Key Player: Emil Forsberg
Probably the first Swedish player to have an objectively better season than Ibrahimovic in over a decade, Emil Forsberg accumulated eight goals and a league-leading 19 assists in RB Leipzig’s spectacular 2016/17 season.
Liverpool-bound Naby Keïta and Germany’s current first-choice striker Timo Werner saw more plaudits but Forsberg’s chance creation and immaculate set piece delivery were instrumental to the newly promoted side’s historic second-place finish.
Both Forsberg and RB Leipzig failed to repeat that success this season, as the left-sided attacking mid contributed a pedestrian four goals + assists, in part due to injuries, as his team finished sixth.
If the Swedes are to have any chance of advancement, they will need the most talented player in their squad to return to form.
Group Stage
Group F: Germany, South Korea, Mexico
Barring a huge misstep from the reigning world champions from across the Baltic sea, Group F will be a three-horse race for second place.
South Korea are comparable to Sweden in that their star player is a left-sided attacker. The gap in talent from Son Heung-min to the rest of the squad is, however, huge.
REUTERS/Lisi Niesner
Mexico are the second most talented team in the group with a number of players making a difference in big leagues across Europe.
While Sweden will see progressing into the knock-out stages as eminently doable, they could just as easily find themselves outside the top two by the time the group stages come to an end.
Prediction: Group Stage exit
While they have every chance of climbing out of Group F, Sweden are less talented now than they have been in years past and almost certainly less talented than they will be in a few years.
There may be truth to the idea that the collective is better and more fluid without the demanding presence of Ibrahimovic but, while his time has come, lasted, lasted, lasted, and now presumably gone, the new generation has yet to flourish.
However, if they do manage to finish second, their first knockout game will be against the winners of group E. And, as you may well know, Brazil are in that group.
World Cup 2018: South Korea Preview
Widely regarded as the whipping boys of Group F, can the South Koreans perform above expectations to become one of this summer’s underdog success story’s?
After becoming the second Asian team to compete in the World Cup finals in 1954, South Korea had to wait until 2002 before they finally saw their side win the first game at this tournament.
Not only did they win their first final’s match, they went on to beat Portugal and claim a second victory on their way through the group stages, eventually getting as far as the semi-final.
However, they have suffered more disappointments than successes in recent years. Now taking part in the World Cup finals for the tenth time, they will be hoping to break out of the group stage for only the third time in their history.
Given current form and the calibre of opposition they’ve been drawn to face, this will prove an almighty challenge. They have proven people wrong in the past though and will look to once more turn dreams into a reality later this month.
Route to the finals
What started out so promisingly finished with narrow qualification.
Having won all of their eight matches without conceding a goal in the second stage of the Asian qualification section, the third and final stage proved more problematic.
An opening 3-2 win over China was one of only four wins from their ten fixtures. With defeats to Iran, China and Qatar, progression was left on a knife-edge for the Reds.
Their final two matches both produced draws, first at home against table-toppers Iran, then away in Uzbekistan on a nervous night in Tashkent.
While they did just enough to qualify and scored more goals than any other team in Group A, their defence was poor and they failed to score in half of their matches.
This unconvincing set of displays saw their manager replaced and South Korea limp into a set of friendlies which would only prove to serve as further worrying evidence regarding their chances in Russia.
Starting XI
Manager, Shin Tae-Yong, has a penchant for flipping between a 4-4-2 formation or employing a system which incorporates his favoured three centre-backs approach. As such, there’s a level of uncertainty as to how they will begin any given game.
The amount of defensive players included in their 23-man squad might suggests a lineup of five defenders this summer.
However, it very much feels like Shin Tae-Yong is still searching for his best options in both formation, style and personnel.
Key Player: Son Heung-min
Undoubtedly the South Koreans star player, Tottenham’s Son will carry the hopes of the nation on his shoulders.
His latest Premier League season saw him again improve his all-round game, scoring 12 goals and making eight assists from his 37 Premier League appearances.
Furthermore, he scored 4 goals from his 7 Champions League games to prove he can truly deliver at the highest level.
REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji
While he could be used as the main striker, he could equally prove useful on the left wing which would see him more involved in the game, rather than potentially finding himself isolated at the top of the pitch.
With Swansea’s Sung-Yueng Ki potentially playing in the left-sided central midfield position rather than his preferred right-sided role, the two Premier League players could link up well to provide some quality in the side going forward.
Group Stage
The three Group F matches are likely to get progressively harder for the Reds meaning they will need a good start to the competition if they’re to have any realistic hope of making the second round.
The opening fixture has them facing Sweden, a team who make up for their current lack of flair with good organisation and also a team looking to make a strong start to the group stage.
REUTERS/Lisi Niesner
A talented but unpredictable Mexico team follows before they face the tournament favourites, Germany, in their final game.
While it may be the best time to play the German’s who could feasibly have already qualified by this point, they too could find themselves with little to play for unless they hit the ground running in Russia.
Prediction: Group Stage exit
Since Shin Tae-yong stepped up from the youth team to take over the manager’s role, he has failed to disprove the critics who accused him of possessing limited tactical knowledge.
With a squad of players who have shown themselves to be defensively weak, they are greatly in need of a tactical edge going into a tough round of fixtures.
Therefore, their expected failure at the group stage looks accurately prophetic and they are highly likely to be leaving Russia before the knock-out stages commence.
France vs USA International Friendly Date: Saturday, 9 June 2018 Kick-Off at 20:00 UK Venue: Groupama Stadium (Decines-Charpieu).
France have connected a three-game winning streak and host USA for their Friendly on Saturday desperate to retain such a consistency ahead of the trip to Russia. They’ve bagged wins over Russia in March, Republic of Ireland in May, and Italy in early June – which will have them very confident ahead of the clash at Groupama Stadium!
USA have no high stakes involved as they failed to make it to the World Cup amid a thriller CONCACAF campaign and Dave Sarachan has been trying out some new options since then, seeing quite mixed success. Stars and Stripes have earned two wins in their last five outings, with two draws and a single loss seen along the way.
However, the loss to Republic of Ireland came just a week ago and it saw a streak of two wins in a row ended, which will come as a disappointment. Les Bleus will now hope to capitalize on that and outclass the World Cup absentees with a rotated line-up, lifting their team spirits still early in June.
France vs USA: Head-to-head
France have beaten the rivals 1-0 in the sides’ only head-to-head clash so far.
The sides have never met for a competitive matchup and this will be the first clash in seven years.
Both have been scoring and conceding goals recently so we expect a more thrilling contest this time around.
France vs USA: Predictions
We will now back France to bag a win but not without a goal conceded, as we stick our necks out for a Home win & Both teams to score at an eye-catching 3.60. We have seen them regularly concede goals and this could be further evidence for such a bet despite coming as heavy favourites to win.
USA have bagged at least a goal on each of their last four trips away from home and although they’ve struggled to return to the winning ways, we do feel they’ll put on a solid challenge on the day too. We thus hope to see goals at Groupama Stadium and we’ll also go for Over 2.5 goals FT at 1.65.
France vs USA Betting Tips
France to win & Both teams to score @ 3.60
Over 2.5 goals FT @ 1.65.
Didier Deschamps only has one opportunity left to fine-tune his tactics ahead of the World Cup when France host the USA at the Stade des Lumieres.
After a 3-1 victory over the Italians in the first of their pre-World Cup friendlies, there’s a feeling of cautious optimism engulfing the France camp ahead of their trip to Russia.
Nothing is, as of yet, set in stone for the Frenchman, and there’s a number of first team places up for grabs, with the likes of Olivier Giroud and Ousmane Dembele still pushing to start Les Bleus’ opener against Australia on June 16th.
For the States, this is a chance for the national team to test themselves against FIFA’s number seven ranked nation and prove to the world that they are a team fit for international competition after missing out on this summer’s tournament.
Last Time Out
France 3-1 Italy
Mario Balotelli could not add to the goal he scored on his return to international football as France ran out 3-1 winners in a heavyweight European clash in Nice at the beginning of the month.
The French began the game energetically and centre back Samuel Umtiti -who recently extended his Barcelona contract to 2023- took advantage of a loose ball in the box, following a Salvatore Sirigu save from Kylian Mbappe, to open the scoring in the eighth minute.
REUTERS/Eric Gaillard
France continued to bully the Italians and N’Golo Kante saw a low shot palmed onto the post, before Antoine Griezmann doubled the lead from the penalty spot after a foul from Rolando Mandragora on Lucas Hernandez.
Although Leonardo Bonucci pulled one back in the 36th minute, Ousmane Dembele put the game to bed with a delightful curling effort from the edge of the box after previously hitting the crossbar.
Ireland 2-1 USA
The Irish came from behind to beat the United States on John O’Shea’s international departure. On his 118th cap for his country, the 37-year-old Sunderland defender was given a stirring reception as he was substituted in the first half.
REUTERS/Jason Cairnduff
Martin O’Neill’s side were on the wrong end of a three-game losing streak, which looked set to continue when Bobby Wood put the Americans in front in injury time at the end of the first half. However, Graham Burke equalised after converting debutant Darragh Lenihan’s shot.
Substitute Alan Judge ensured the streak was over with a 91st minute winner to send Dave Sarachan’s young side home with a loss.
France Lineup
Deschamps opted for a front three of Mbappe, Griezmann and Dembele in the 3-1 victory over Italy, but he’s likely to chop and change his forwards to give alternate systems and personnel an opportunity to impress.
This could see the likes of Thomas Lemar and Olivier Giroud start against USA as Deschamps still settles on his first choice starting XI.
Benjamin Mendy could also come in for Atletico Madrid’s Lucas Hernandez, with Corentin Tolisso and N’Golo Kante making way for Steven N’Zonzi and Blaise Matuidi in the middle.
USA Lineup
Bobby Wood could keep his spot up front after scoring last time out against Ireland, whilst Sarachan will continue to explore the effectiveness of Timothy Weah on the flank.
Key Battle: Olivier Giroud vs Cameron Carter-Vickers
If Olivier Giroud starts up front for France, Deschamps will be looking to take advantage of his aerial strength with balls into the Chelsea striker for him to knockdown or hold-up to bring the likes of Lemar and Florian Thauvin into play.
Giroud won 40 aerial duels in his 13 Premier League appearances for Chelsea -at a rate of 3.08 per game- and it’s a useful tool to have in any team’s arsenal if the ground game isn’t seeing success.
REUTERS/Charles Platiau
Cameron Carter-Vickers, however, the young American centre back on loan from Tottenham at Ipswich Town, has a slight height disadvantage against Giroud -measuring five centimetres shorter- and will have his work cut out from him in dealing with aerial balls.
The 20-year-old, though, won 60 aerial duels at Ipswich, at a more successful rate of 3.75 per game, though he has previously looked unassured when dealing with physical threats from Premier League strikers.
Talking Points
Getting the best out of Paul Pogba
How to get the best out of Paul Pogba is the million pound question, with neither Deschamps nor club manager Jose Mourinho seemingly able to find a solution to the issue of Pogba’s perceived shackling.
REUTERS/Eric Gaillard
The 25-year-old wasn’t at the peak of his powers last time out against Italy and was, surprisingly, booed by his own fans after a woeful shot in the 3-1 victory, prompting calls from his manager to “raise his level of play.”
Partnered with Kante and Tolisso in a midfield three didn’t seem to work for Pogba, so Deschamps may opt for two defensive midfielders to release the Manchester United number six from his shackles.
The Timothy Weah experiment
Son of former FIFA World Player of the Year winner George Weah, Timothy has shone since his debut for the USA first team, scoring on his first international start against Bolivia, becoming the fourth-youngest player ever to score for the United States.
REUTERS/Jason Cairnduff
Weah is known for his blistering pace and electric dribbling and Sarachan will be hoping he can continue to cause problems for opposition defences, especially against Benjamin Mendy, who has been out of action for a majority of the season and is hoping to regain form ahead of the World Cup.
Benjamin Mendy vs DeAndre Yedlin
As mentioned, Mendy has spent most of Manchester City’s title-winning season sidelined through injury and was fairly lucky to earn a call-up to the World Cup squad, with the Frenchman hoping to return to form ahead of Les Bleus’ opener.
By contrast, DeAndre Yedlin thrived for Rafa Benitez’s Newcastle United side, who comfortably survived the drop.
REUTERS/Lee Smith
The 24-year-old assisted two goals, created 19 chances and completed 24 take-ons, but the attacking side of his game will likely be kept on a tight leash given the need to defend against whoever starts on France’s left, be it Lemar, Thauvin or Mbappe.
Similarly, Mendy, if selected, will have to contain the burgeoning threat of Timothy Weah, although France will spend the majority of the game on the front foot.
Prediction: France 3-0 USA
The strength in depth in the French squad is, frankly, astonishing and Deschamps has a variety of options to choose from, all of which likely spell defeat for the Americans.
Sarachan’s young squad are some way off France’s level and won’t have much joy in Lyon.
France vs. United States International Friendly Groupama Stadium — Lyon Saturday, June 9 — 3 pm ET WATCH: ESPN, UniMás, UDN
After a 2-1 loss to Ireland last Saturday in Dublin (a step up in competition from the 3-0 win over Bolivia on Memorial Day) the young US national team will face the ultimate test Saturday when they take on World Cup contender France in Lyon.
The match will be the final for Dave Sarachan’s side until a busy fall, which includes a friendly against Mexico on Sept. 11 in Nashville and reportedly matches against Brazil, Colombia, Argentina, England and Italy.
“France is going to be a really good test for us and a very good experience for everyone on this team. We’re all excited,” Columbus Crew SC goalkeeper Zack Steffen said. “I think we just go in with our game plan and want to show everybody who’s watching what we’ve got and go in and play as a team, work for each other, have fun and enjoy the experience.”
A modest four-match unbeaten streak came to an end last Saturday in Dublin when Alan Judge netted the 90th-minute winner to send the US to a 2-1 defeat to Ireland. The Yanks led 1-0 at the break thanks to Bobby Wood’s 12th international goal in first-half stoppage time.
Graham Burke leveled for Ireland, which bounced back from a 2-0 loss to France to improve to 6-2-2 all-time vs. the United States.
New York Red Bulls defender Tim Parker, Fulham's Luca de la Torre and Levante’s Shaq Moore each came off the substitute’s bench in the second half to make their USMNT debuts, while midfielders Julian Green (right foot) and Kenny Saief (right knee) were held out of the squad due to injuries.
France Outlook
This match serves as the World Cup sendoff for a France squad that has lofty expectations in Russia later this month. Didier Deschamps’ team ran roughshod over Ireland, winning 2-0, on May 28 with Chelsea’s Olivier Giroud and Nabil Fekir from Lyon striking before halftime.
They followed that up with a 3-1 victory over Italy in Nice on Friday with Barcelona’s Samuel Umtiti and Atletico Madrid striker Antoine Griezmann gave France a two-goal lead before the half-hour mark. Leonardo Bonucci pulled the Azzurri within a goal in the 35th minute, but Barcelona forward Ousmane Dembele put the game away with a 63rd minute goal, his second for Les Bleus.
History
The United States are 0-3-0 all-time against France and have been outscored, 10-0. Loïc Rémy came off the substitute’s bench to score the 72nd-minute winner in a 1-0 victory for Les Bleusin front of 70,018 fans at Stade de France on Nov. 11, 2011
Players to Watch
United States — Zack Steffen. After a rusty Bill Hamid made some blunders, including one that resulted in Ireland’s equalizer, fans on social media were clamoring for Steffen in net against France. The Crew SC goalkeeper has been outstanding in MLS play, having set a club shutout streak that spans five matches and 505 minutes.
France — Paul Pogba. The midfielder had an uneven first year with Manchester United, butting heads with Jose Mourinho on more than one occasion. While his return to the Reds will be one of the summer’s biggest questions, there is no doubt Pogba can be extremely influential with France. A return to his prior form at Juventus could put France on the podium next month.
REUTERS/Anton Vaganov
REUTERS/Anton Vaganov
REUTERS/Lisi Niesner
REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin
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