The beauty of the UEFA Nations League is that it sees some of the continents leading nations come up against each other. That is certainly the case in Nations League A, Group 3 which features Portugal, France, Sweden, and Croatia.
This has the makings of being a fantastic group and in the opening round of fixtures on September the 5th we have a meeting between Sweden and France at the Friends Arena, Solna.
Sweden come into the Nations League having enjoyed a successful European Championship qualifying campaign. They finished second in a group containing Spain, Norway, Romania, Faroe Islands, and Malta. The Swedes come into this game defending an unbeaten record that stretches back 7 competitive matches.
Having lost 3-0 in Spain, Sweden have since defeated Faroe Islands, Malta, and Romania away plus Faroe Islands at home. However, their recent home record shows they have not always won matches in Sweden. They have won 4 of their last 7 home competitive fixtures but tasted only a single defeat in those games.
Sweden's most recent home fixtures against good quality opposition have both ended in 1-1 draws. They have been held at home by Norway and Spain and usually put up a good fight against strong opposition on their own turf.
C'était la rentrée des Bleus hier ! Hugo Lloris et ses partenaires ont suivi une 1ère séance d'entraînement à Clairefontaine pour préparer le match de samedi face à la Suède 👊 #FiersdetreBleus pic.twitter.com/Jqik7VXsWe— Equipe de France ⭐⭐ (@equipedefrance) September 1, 2020
C'était la rentrée des Bleus hier ! Hugo Lloris et ses partenaires ont suivi une 1ère séance d'entraînement à Clairefontaine pour préparer le match de samedi face à la Suède 👊 #FiersdetreBleus pic.twitter.com/Jqik7VXsWe
France are the current World Cup holders and would have started the 2020 European Championships as one of the favourites to lift the trophy. They finished top of their European Championship qualifying group, 2 points clear of 2nd place Turkey and 6 points ahead of 3rd place Iceland.
The French did not have things all their own way in the group and they struggled against the Turks. France lost in Konya and were held to a 1-1 draw in Paris. Trends show France have won 4 of their last 7 away competitive fixtures, with each of the victories coming against lower ranked opposition. They struggled against Germany, Netherlands, and Turkey, drawing two and losing one of those games.
France have seen under 2.5 goals scored in 3 of their last 4 home matches and in 5 of their last 7 on the road. They finished second behind Netherlands in the previous Nations League and will be hoping to come out on top this time around.
Looking ahead to the team news and Sweden have plenty of international experience in their squad including Mikael Lustig, Victor Lindelöf, Sebastian Larsson, Albin Ekdal, and Marcus Berg.
The headline news for France is that they will be without Paul Pogba, who has tested positive for coronavirus. Exciting young defender Dayot Upamecano could be handed his debut along with Eduardo Camavinga in midfield.
Sweden will be aiming to make this match as tight as possible, with few goal scoring chances. France did not enjoy their previous visit to Stockholm when they lost in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers. Therefore, we could see this game and level with under 2.5 goals scored.