Sweden to avoid Greek tragedy
In light of Spain's participation in the UEFA Nations League final stage, Group B rivals Sweden can replace them at the top of the pile on merit with a win against Greece on Tuesday night at the Friends Arena in Solna. The hosts' only dropped points to date came in the reverse fixture when they lost 2-1, a result that could come back to haunt them if they don't make their own home advantage count. Read our preview here:
S-paint a vulgar picture
A win would leave the Blue and Yellows realistically only needing to avoid defeat against Spain in their final group game to unceremoniously boot the giants into the play-off places and all of the uncertainty that comes with those. Either way, a repeat performance of the weekend's 3-0 victory over Kosovo would go a long way to earning Janne Andersson's men precisely what they need; they are still set to be without centre back and captain Victor Lindelöf, but will probably otherwise be unchanged from the 4-4-2 that started their last encounter. Emil Forsberg and Alexsander Isak's rapport continues to blossom, and in what is bound to be a closely fought contest, their quality in those moments could be the difference makers.
Kostas a fortune
Two games ago, John van 't Schip's charges were dead in the water as far as their World Cup hopes were concerned. Though still a long shot, they have very little to lose by going for the jugular in colder climes. They were made to wait until second half injury time by Georgia before proving too strong for their hosts, and they can expect to face a similarly compact defence when in possession. Kostas Tsimikas will operate as a roving left wing-back, and his contributions will be key in finding pockets on the outside of the two banks of four. AZ striker Vangelis Pavlidis is adept at both defending from the front and in the air, but is unlikely to be utilised in either facet. Instead, he must use his accurate long shots to force the backline into a higher level of engagement.
van 't Schip, won't ship
Whilst Greece aren't going to simply pile men forward, the onus nevertheless remains on Sweden to get the vital win they need to boost their own automatic qualification chances. That augurs well for both an end-to-an-end match, and one with goals, despite the relative defensive prowess in both ranks. betway have odds of 4.33 for a home win with both teams scoring.
