Sweden: Signs of recovery, but creativity remains a concern

Sweden endured a turbulent end to their qualifying campaign, prompting the appointment of Graham Potter in an effort to steady the ship. While immediate progress was limited, the Swedes eventually found redemption in the play-offs, beating Ukraine 3-1 before overcoming Poland 3-2 in a dramatic encounter that erased memories of their painful defeat to the Poles during the 2022 World Cup cycle.

Still, recent form has left room for concern. June friendlies exposed lingering issues, as Sweden fell 3-1 to Norway and surrendered a lead in a 2-2 draw with Greece. Potter’s side has looked more dangerous when playing on the break, but against Tunisia they are expected to dominate possession — a role that has often exposed their struggles in creating chances against disciplined defenses.

Tunisia: Fresh leadership but attacking struggles continue

Tunisia arrived at the World Cup after an outstanding qualification run, winning nine of their ten matches without suffering defeat and posting a remarkable 22:0 goal difference. Yet major changes followed the Africa Cup of Nations, with Sabri Lamouchi stepping in as head coach and overseeing a period of transition ahead of the tournament.

The early results under the new manager have been mixed at best. Tunisia narrowly beat Haiti 1-0 and drew 0-0 with Canada, before suffering defeats to Austria and a crushing 5-0 loss against Belgium — their heaviest setback in many years. The biggest issue lies in attack: Tunisia have managed just one goal in four matches under Lamouchi, with their current scoring drought now stretching beyond 350 minutes of football.

Probable lineups

Sweden: Nordfeldt; Lindelöf, Hien, Lagerbielke, Gudmundsson; Karlström, Ayari; Bernhardsson, Nygren, Isak; Gyökeres.

Tunisia: Chammakh; Valery, Talbi, Rekik, Abdi; Khedira, Skhiri, Slimane, Mejbri, Achouri; Chaouat.

Match facts and head-to-head

Sweden secured vital play-off wins over Ukraine (3-1) and Poland (3-2), but later failed to beat Norway and Greece in friendlies.

Tunisia remained unbeaten and did not concede in qualifying, though under Sabri Lamouchi they have scored only once in four matches.

Each of the last four meetings between Sweden and Tunisia produced no more than two goals.

Sweden failed to score more than once in regular time in nine of their last 12 World Cup qualifiers.

Both teams found the net in six of Sweden’s most recent matches.

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