France vs Sweden Predictions
France have been one of the standout attacking sides at the World Cup, and another entertaining contest should develop in New Jersey.
Sweden carry enough threat to get on the scoresheet, but Les Bleus should have too much in the forward areas.
I have my stake on France to win with over 2.5 goals scored.
France Backed in High-Scoring Contest
- France won 12 of their last 14 matches
- France have seen over 2.5 goals in their last 12 matches
- Sweden lost 5 of their last 10 matches (competitive matches)
- Sweden have seen over 2.5 goals in 6 of their last 7 matches
France Hold Strong H2H Record
France and Sweden have met on seven occasions since 2008. Les Bleus won five of those matches, with at least three goals scored in three of those victories.
The French claimed a 4-2 win when the nations last met in 2020.
France Impress in Group I
France make the trip to New Jersey after a dominant 4-1 win against Norway in their final Group I fixture. Ousmane Dembele produced a superb first-half hat-trick as Les Bleus made it three wins from three to secure top spot in the section.
France make the trip to New Jersey after a dominant 4-1 win against Norway in their final Group I fixture. Ousmane Dembele produced a superb first-half hat-trick as Les Bleus made it three wins from three to secure top spot in the section.
Didier Deschamps’ men once again showcased their attacking quality, albeit against a much-changed Norwegian side. Les Bleus registered 18 attempts on goal, with their four goals coming from an xG of just 1.5.
Before Friday’s victory, France had already booked their place in the knockout phase with excellent wins against Senegal and Iraq. Kylian Mbappe scored twice in the opening victory against the Africans before adding another pair of strikes against the Asian qualifiers.
Deschamps’s side have looked like one of the most dangerous attacking teams at the tournament, scoring ten goals across their three group fixtures.
The tournament favourites have now won 12 of their last 14 matches, losing just once.
Still, Les Bleus have remained a little vulnerable defensively. France failed to keep clean sheets in eight of their last ten matches, with all games finishing with BTTS.
Sweden Edge Through Tough Section
Sweden arrive in New Jersey after securing their place in the round of 32 with a 1-1 draw against Japan. Anthony Elanga scored a late equaliser as Graham Potter’s side did enough to progress from Group F in third spot.
With both teams knowing a point would be enough to qualify, it proved a cagey contest for long spells before Elanga’s late strike levelled just six minutes after Dazien Maeda had opened the scoring.
The Swedes began their campaign with a thumping 5-1 win against Tunisia, but were quickly brought back down to earth with a 5-1 defeat against the Netherlands.
Potter’s side have shown they carry a threat in the final third, with Viktor Gyokeres, Alexander Isak and Elanga giving them pace, power and quality in attacking areas.
Sweden have scored at least once in each of their last nine matches. All nine of those fixtures also saw both teams get on the scoresheet.
Defensive issues remain a concern. Sweden conceded five against the Netherlands, while they have now leaked 20 goals in nine games played since September last year.
Squads and Team News
France Squad
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, Michael Olise, Bradley Barcola, Desire Doue, Jean-Philippe Mateta
France are likely to keep faith with much of the side that swept past Norway in their final group-stage fixture.
Didier Deschamps has a couple of fitness concerns ahead of Tuesday’s knockout tie. Marcus Thuram is rated doubtful with a calf issue, while William Saliba is also expected to miss out with a back issue.
Guy Stephan, who stepped in to lead France in the absence of Deschamps following the death of his mother, praised his side after the win against Norway.
"All the players did what they had to do," Stephan said. "Given that they are very close to Didier, the players wanted to do something special today on the pitch."
Sweden Squad
Goalkeepers: Jacob Widell Zetterstrom, Viktor Johansson, Kristoffer Nordfeldt
Defenders: Gustaf Lagerbielke, Victor Lindelof, Isak Hien, Gabriel Gudmundsson, Herman Johansson, Daniel Svensson, Hjalmar Ekdal, Carl Starfelt, Eric Smith, Elliot Stroud
Midfielders: Lucas Bergvall, Benjamin Nygren, Ken Sema, Jesper Karlstrom, Yasin Ayari, Mattias Svanberg, Alexander Bernhardsson, Besfort Zeneli
Forwards: Alexander Isak, Anthony Elanga, Viktor Gyokeres, Gustaf Nilsson, Taha Ali
Sweden head coach Graham Potter has been dealt a defensive blow ahead of Tuesday’s round of 32 tie. Isak Hien has been ruled out for the rest of the tournament with a hamstring injury.
The Swedes have further injury issues with Benjamin Nygren, Eric Smith and Victor Lindelof also rated doubtful to feature.
Anthony Elanga is expected to start after scoring Sweden’s equaliser against Japan.
Head coach Potter praised stand-in goalkeeper Jacob Widell Zetterstrom after a solid display against the Japanese.
“We analysed the game against the Netherlands. We had to defend the box and wide areas better (today).”
"We decided to use Jacob’s attributes because I think he’s a fantastic goalkeeper. His distribution was very impressive.”
“Anthony (Elanga) comes in and offers a counter-attacking threat, and his pace is destabilising for the opponent.”