Michael O’Neill believes Sweden will want to put on a show in front of their fans when they play Northern Ireland this evening.
The senior men’s team are due to face the Swedes in a friendly at the Strawberry Arena in Solna on the outskirts of Stockholm (6 o’clock start GMT).
Jon Dahl Tomasson’s team lost 1-0 away to Luxembourg in a friendly at the weekend and they have been roundly criticised by both media and fans in Sweden for their performance at Stade de Luxembourg.
The Northern Ireland manager said he has no doubt Sweden, who like Northern Ireland had a strong UEFA Nations League C campaign back in the autumn, will be determined to bounce back.
He told media yesterday: "We would expect Sweden at home to put in a strong performance. We have to be ready to deal with that."
The manager revealed his players were slightly disappointed after they drew 1-1 with a solid Switzerland team in an international challenge match in Belfast on Friday night. He said the players felt they could have got more out of the game against a team ranked 51 places above them.
The Northern Ireland boss explained he is looking for another good performance from his players which shows they are continuing to make progress as a team ahead of FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers this autumn.
At his press conference in the Strawberry Arena he further said: "You always want to see the team develop. The result is not that significant. If the result goes against us I don't think it will damage us in any significant way.
"It's good exposure for the team. We're testing ourselves. We're not taking easy games and hopefully we'll see the benefit of that in September."
Sunderland defender Trai Hume is the only absentee from the squad chosen for the game against the Swiss. He has returned to his club for treatment on a hip problem.
Former Blackburn Rovers striker Tomasson is wary of the boys in green and white despite the fact his side are currently ranked 27th in the world compared to Northern Ireland in 71st place.
Sweden’s Danish manager was very complimentary towards O’Neill’s team at his press conference yesterday. He said the youthful visitors had lots of athleticism and energy and were dangerous from set pieces.
However, he also promised that Swedish fans will “see a different team” from the one that lost to Luxembourg on Saturday.
The Swedish squad features several players who will be familiar names to fans who follow the Premier League in England.
Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak (51 caps and 15 goals) is their big star just now.
Fresh from the Magpies’ Carabao Cup success, Isak is expected to lead the line this evening.
O’Neill said Isak was a top class striker and any team in Europe would be delighted to have him in their ranks.
However, Sweden will be without their other star striker, Sporting Lisbon’s Viktor Gyokeres, who has withdrawn from their squad due to injury, while Tottenham Hotspur attacker Dejan Kulusevski is also absent through injury.
Manchester United defender Victor Lindelof will captain the Swedish team, while Aston Villa keeper Robin Olsen is expected to start in nets. With 70 and 76 caps to their names respectively they are the most experienced players in Tomasson’s panel.
The Sweden squad’s youthful element includes Spurs midfielder Lucas Bergvall, Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Yasin Ayari plus Nottingham Forest attacker Anthony Elanga. Udinese’s Jesper Kalstrom is another young player worth watching.
Tomasson has a relatively inexperienced defence at his disposal. Only Lindelof and Pafos defender Ken Sema (25 caps) have more than 20 caps, however the likes of Atalanta’s Isak Hien, Lille’s Gabriel Gudmundsson and Celta Vigo defender Carl Starfelt are starting to gain good experience at international level.
Northern Ireland will be cheered on by around 460 members of the Green and White Army at the Strawberry Arena, while circa 16,000 Swedish fans will be in attendance.
This evening’s game is being shown live on BBC Two NI and the BBC iPlayer.
Training in Solna
