Kylian Mbappe and the French battle the Swedes in the World Cup round of 32 on Tuesday
For the first time, France and Sweden will meet in the World Cup knockout stages as Graham Potter looks to prove that his side belongs in this competition despite not winning any of their UEFA World Cup qualifying matches. Sweden were able to make it to this point due to their UEFA Nations League place, awarding them a playoff spot, but thanks to drawing Japan and defeating Tunisia, they’ll now face one of the top attacking sides in the entire tournament in Didier Deschamps France side.
Deschamps missed France’s victory over Norway to attend his mother’s funeral, and now he’s back to lead the squad as their path is becoming easier to plot with Paraguay defeating Germany. Not one to take anything for granted, Deschamps will have his squad prepared for anything that Sweden may throw their way as this is beginning to look a bit different than French sides that he has led in the past.
With Ousmane Dembele and Kylian Mbappe both scoring four goals each during the group stage while being flanked by Michael Olise, this is a team who can compete with the best attacking sides in the tournament, but they haven’t been tested much defensively.
That’s where Sweden can make their inroads. In Alexander Isak, Viktor Gyokeres, and Anthony Elanga, Sweden does have attacking options that should put teams on notice, and that could lead to a lovely open game of soccer at MetLife. Yes, these aren’t associated with Deschamps, but maybe in his last ride as national team manager, he’s opening things up a bit. He’s also always been a manager who will get their best players on the pitch regardless of position, which has led to France utilizing four attackers instead of their standard three, and the winner has been us, the viewer. Let that continue, please.
How to watch France vs. Sweden
Date: Tuesday, June 30 | Time: 5 p.m. ET
Location: MetLife Stadium — East Rutherford, N.J.
TV: FOX (Eng), Telemundo (Spa) | Live stream: Fubo (Try for free)
Odds: France -400; Draw +500; Sweden +1000
France vs. Sweden predicted starting lineups
France: Mike Maignan, Theo Hernández, Dayot Upamecano, William Saliba, Jules Koundé, André Rabiot, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Ousmane Dembélé, Michael Olise, Désiré Doué, Kylian Mbappé
Sweden: Jacob Widell Zetterstrom, Gabriel Gudmundsson, Viktor Lindelof, Gustaf Lagerbielke, Elliot Stroud, Jesper Karlstrom, Yasin Ayari, Alexander Bernhardsson, Alexander Isak, Viktor Gyokeres, Anthony Elanga
France vs. Sweden pick, prediction
Sweden have been a fun side to see in action, but the sheer amount of options in the French attack will be overwhelming when it comes down to it. Mbappe will continue to add to his own goal count as France break the streak of close knockout matches. Pick: France 3, Sweden 1
Check out our World Cup expert predictions.
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