Preview: Sweden vs. Greece - prediction, team news, lineups

Sweden will be looking to move to the top of Group B when they continue their World Cup 2022 qualification campaign at home to Greece on Tuesday night.

Janne Andersson's side are currently second in the section, one point behind leaders Spain, while Greece occupy third, three points behind Sweden heading into this key encounter.

Match preview

© Reuters

Sweden suffered a disappointing 2-1 defeat in Greece last month but returned to winning ways in impressive fashion on Saturday night, as goals from Emil Forsberg, Alexander Isak and Robin Quaison saw them record a 3-0 victory over Kosovo in Solna.

Andersson's side have won four and lost one of their five games in the section to collect 12 points, which has left them one point behind Spain, who have played one match more.

As a result, Sweden would move to the top of Group B with a win on Tuesday, and a positive result against Greece would lead them nicely into next month's final two games against Georgia and Spain.

The Blue and Yellows - runners-up at the 1958 World Cup - reached the quarter-finals of the 2018 edition of the tournament, while they made the round of 16 at this summer's European Championship, so it would be a surprise if they were not present at next year's competition.

Sweden have only won one of their previous seven games against Greece in all competitions, though, and as mentioned, suffered a 2-1 defeat in the reverse match in the section.

© Reuters

Greece, meanwhile, will enter Tuesday's match off the back of a 2-0 victory over Georgia, with Anastasios Bakasetas and Dimitris Pelkas netting in second-half stoppage time.

John van 't Schip's side have now won their last two Group B fixtures to move onto nine points, and a victory on Tuesday would give them a serious chance of finishing either first or second in the group.

Greece did not qualify for the 2018 World Cup but were present in the 2010 and 2014 editions of the tournament and made it to the round of 16 seven years ago.

The Sky Blues and Whites, who have home games against Spain and Kosovo to come next month, did not qualify for Euro 2016, though, so it has been seven years since they last competed in a major tournament.

Greece's only previous defeat to Sweden came in the group stages of Euro 2008, when Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Petter Hansson scored in a two-goal loss.

Team News

© Reuters

Sweden could again be without the services of Manchester United centre-back Victor Lindelof, who did not join up with the squad at the scheduled time for personal reasons.

Head coach Andersson opted for a 4-4-2 formation against Kosovo, with Dejan Kulusevski operating alongside Isak in the final third, and it would not be a surprise to see the same side take to the field.

Quaison came off the bench to score on Saturday but is expected to be among the substitutes once again, while Forsberg could operate off the left for the home side.

As for Greece, Liverpool's Kostas Tsimikas should operate in a wing-back area, while the captain Bakasetas could again feature in a slightly deeper area, which was the case against Georgia.

Vangelis Pavlidis and Giorgos Masouras are also expected to retain their spots in the starting team, while Manolis Siopis is likely to continue in a midfield area.

Head coach Van 't Schip has plenty of options for change, but it could ultimately be the same XI that took to the field for the first whistle against Georgia.

Sweden possible starting lineup:
Olsen; Krafth, Danielsson, Nilsson, Augustinsson; Claesson, Olsson, Ekdal, Forsberg; Isak, Kulusevski

Greece possible starting lineup:
Vlachodimos; Chatzidiakos, Mavropanos, Tzavellas; Androutsos, Bakasetas, Siopis, Bouchalakis, Tsimikas; Masouras, Pavlidis

We say: Sweden 2-1 Greece

This is set to be a fascinating battle, and Spain will be watching closely to see what occurs. Sweden were excellent against Kosovo last time out, but Greece have now won their last two in the section; we are expecting a tight game on Tuesday but have just sided with a narrow home success.