New Jersey: Two-time champions France will take on Sweden in a highly anticipated Round of 32 clash at the New York New Jersey Stadium this Tuesday. The winner will advance to the Round of 16 in Philadelphia, facing either Germany or Paraguay for a coveted spot in the quarterfinals.
France has entirely lived up to their pre-tournament favourites tag, storming into the knockout stages without a hitch. The Les Bleus attack has been ruthless, netting ten goals while conceding just two in the group stage. Sweden, on the other hand, has looked less convincing despite an explosive start to their campaign. The Scandinavians will need to elevate their game, keep the fierce French frontline in check, and perhaps hope to drag the match into the unpredictable territory of extra time and penalties.
French talisman Kylian Mbappe has already racked up four goals. The skipper showed against Norway with two assists that it isn’t only about scoring goals. After a quiet opening match against Morocco, Ousmane Dembele has exploded into form; he matches Mbappe with four goals, fresh off a spectacular hat-trick against Norway. The menacing duo has pierced defensive lines at will, flawlessly supported by the creative sparks of Michael Olise and Desire Doue.
Manager Didier Deschamps has fully embraced an "attack is the best form of defense" philosophy. This aggressive mindset persists despite boasting one of the tournament's sturdiest center-back pairings in William Saliba and Ibrahima Konate.
Thanks to the relentless pressure applied by their forwards, French goalkeeper Mike Maignan has largely been a spectator, though he has remained sharp when called upon. The only lingering concern for French fans is a tendency for the team to become passive without the ball. How the 2022 runners-up will react if they are forced onto the back foot remains to be seen.
Sweden’s journey has been a rollercoaster. They hammered Tunisia 5-1 in their opening match, only to find themselves on the receiving end of a 5-1 thrashing by the Netherlands. A tense 1-1 draw with Japan ultimately squeezed them through as one of the best third-place finishers.
As Arsenal striker Viktor Gyökeres pointed out, Sweden must play a near-perfect game and maintain absolute defensive discipline. Gyokeres and Alexander Isak will need to forge a magical partnership up front to stand a chance. They can take some notes from their neighbours, Norway; though the Norwegians sans stars were ultimately dismantled by the 1998 and 2018 champions, they still managed to create several golden opportunities. If Sweden wants to pull off a monumental upset, Gyokeres and company must capitalise on every single error the French defense gives them.
Squads
France:
Goalkeepers: Brice Samba, Mike Maignan, Robin Risser
Defenders: Malo Gusto, Lucas Digne, Dayot Upamecano, Jules Kounde, Ibrahima Konate, William Saliba, Theo Hernandez, Lucas Hernandez, Maxence Lacroix
Midfielders: Manu Kone, Aurelien Tchouameni, N’Golo Kante, Adrien Rabiot, Warren Zaire-Emery, Rayan Cherki, Maghnes Akliouche
Forwards: Ousmane Dembele, Marcus Thuram, Kylian Mbappe, Bradley Barcola, Desire Doue, Jean-Philippe Mateta, Michael Olise.
Manager: Didier Deschamps
Sweden
Goalkeepers
Viktor Johansson, Gustaf Lagerbielke, Kristoffer Nordfeldt, Jacob Zetterstrom
Defenders
Hjalmar Ekdal, Gabriel Gudmundsson, Isak Hien, Victor Lindelof, Eric Smith, Carl Starfelt, Daniel Svensson
Midfielders
Yasin Ayari, Lucas Bergvall, Jesper Karlstrom, Benjamin Nygren, Ken Sema, Elliot Stroud, Mattias Svanberg, Besfort Zeneli
Forwards
Taha Ali, Alexander Bernhardsson, Anthony Elanga, Viktor Gyokeres, Alexander Isak, Gustaf Nilsson
Manager
Graham Potter
(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)
