Prediction: France vs Sweden

Verdict: Home win + both teams to score

Best Odds: 13/5

Bookmaker: William Hill

Level on points at the Group A summit, France and Sweden head into Friday’s clash at Stade de France in excellent spirits, although Les Bleus have rightly been made favourites to win. Didier Decshamps’ star-studded squad will be up against new-look Blagult, who have enjoyed a very good start to the current campaign.

France

Many agree that this is one of the best generations in the history of the France national team, but unless they lift a major trophy in the near future, they will always be remembered as the Les Bleus team that lost the Euro 2016 final on home soil. The Portugal defeat was a bitter pill to swallow for Deschamps, the players and the entire nation, and the goalless draw with Belarus in the opening 2018 World Cup qualifiers was probably the result of the Euro hangover, but Deschamps then rallied the troops in October, leading his side to important victories over Bulgaria and Netherlands. As a result, France climbed to the top of the standings, but they also need to beat Sweden if they want to cement the first place. Les Bleus appear to be in a good shape at the moment considering that key men Pogba, Payet and Griezmann have been in very good form of late. France have become a real force to be reckoned with at home, winning 11 of last 13 fixtures on home soil, and we certainly will not be surprised if they see off Sweden as well. The team are brimming with confidence at the moment and they can be unplayable on their day.

Team News

Alphonse Areola, Samuel Umtiti, Bacary Sagna and Layvin Kurzawa all miss out through injury, with Eliaquim Mangala added to the squad.

Juventus winger Kingsley Coman faces a fitness test as he battles an ankle problem, while Kevin Gameiro should be preferred to Olivier Giroud up front.

Sweden

Even if the team hadn’t really impressed with him in the side, Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s decision to retire from international duty after the disappointing Euro 2016 tournament has created all sorts of problems for new coach Janne Andersson. Former Manchester City starlet John Guidetti is widely expected to act as a successor to the Manchester United hotshot, but he has yet to make an impact on the international stage. Given the numerous changes in the summer, Sweden enjoyed a decent start to the 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign, sharing spoils with Netherlands before recording back to back wins over Luxembourg and Bulgaria. However, the match against France at Saint Denis will be a whole different ball game, and the lack of experience could easily prove an issue for Blagult. The likes of Granqvist, Ekdal, Forsberg and Toivonen are the only players in the starting line-up that boast decent international experience, and this is not a match where you would want to have too many newcomers on the pitch. It’s been a while since Sweden last beat a top side on the road, as their last four away wins came against Moldova, Liechtenstein, Finland and Luxemourg, and it is highly unlikely that the negative trend will end in France.

Team News

Marcus Berg, Mikael Lustig and Martin Olsson were forced to withdraw from the squad, creating additional problems ahead of the France clash.

Oscar Hiljemark and Erkan Zengin will be dropped, with Jakob Johansson and Marcus Rohden expected to take their places.

Key Factors to Consider

• France are unbeaten against Sweden on home soil (W3 D2)
• Both teams scored in seven of their last nine meetings
• It’s been over three years since Sweden beat a top side on the road
• France have 11 wins in last 13 home games
• Les Bleus conceded just one goal in first three qualifiers

Conclusion

France are slowly returning to their best and we have no doubts that they will extend the winning run against Sweden on Friday evening. However, even without Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Blagult have got plenty of attacking potential and we expect to see them score at least once at Stade de France.

Verdict: Home win + both teams to score

Best Odds: 13/5

Bookmaker: William Hill