Sweden vs Switzerland FIFA World Cup 2018 – Lineups, Predictions & Stats Preview 3 July 2018
The group stages of the FIFA World Cup 2018 have ended, and the qualified teams already know the teams they will face in the Round of 16. Switzerland finished in second place in Group E and will face Sweden who were the winners of a highly contested group F.
Sweden Probable Lineups and Stats
Robin Olsen has been impressive and will retain his position as the goalkeeper. Ludwig Augustinsson who scored a goal in their match against Mexico, and Mikael Lustig will be on the left back and right back positions respectively. In the central defence, Sweden will deploy Andreas Granqvist who was outstanding against Mexico and Victor Nilsson. The four midfielders in their 4-4-2 formation will be Emil Forsberg, Albin Ekdal, Sebastian Larson, and Victor Claesson who had an assist on that game. The Sweden front line will be led by attacking duo of Ola Toivonen and Marcus Berg.
Sweden stunned the world by defeating the strong Mexico team by three goals. The only downside was their 33% possession that they would need to improve in this game. Their defence was as solid as it has been throughout the tournament and it greatly gives them a front foot.
Switzerland Probable Lineups and Stats
Yann Sommer may have conceded an own goal in their previous match, but he has been outstanding for Switzerland and will be in the post for his country. Stephan Lichsteiner and Fabian Schar will miss the game through suspension and will be replaced by Johan Djourou and Nico Elvedi. Switzerland will add Manuel Akanji and Ricardo Rodriguez to their back four. Valon Behrami and Granit Xhaka have been the midfield anchors and will start in this game. Xherdan Shaqiri and Breel Embolo who had an assist in their last game will be on the right and left wing respectively. Blerim Dzemaili will be in the middle to supply Mario Gavranovic with the required passes in their usual 4-2-3-1 formation.
Despite drawing against Costa Rica in the last game of the group stage, Switzerland had a good game and had possession of 62%. Switzerland had defensive challenges and will want to improve their defensive tactics in their upcoming match.
Sweden v Switzerland – Head to Head
Switzerland and Sweden have met 12 times in the past meaning they know each other well. In all these matches, Sweden has won 5 times while Switzerland has won 4 matches. Switzerland has not won any of their away games against Sweden. Sweden has won only 3 of their last ten games while Switzerland has won 5 times and lost only once. Switzerland is unbeaten so far in the FIFA World Cup 2018 and would like to continue their good form in international matches.
Expert Tip
This game will be tough as the two teams have emerged as one of the surprises of the tournament. Both teams have had robust defences, and the game will have few goals. Probably under 2.5 goals will be scored. However, the corners will be many as the defenders will prefer to concede corners in a safety-first approach. This game will also be very tight, and you can expect yellow cards to be shown especially with tough tackling midfielders from both sides. The game will most likely end in a barren draw or 1-1 and head to extra time. Switzerland will, we consider, proceed in the tournament.
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