France wary of Sweden side with 'nothing to lose' at World Cup / Photo: Mauro PIMENTEL - AFP
France wary of Sweden side with 'nothing to lose' at World Cup
France coach Didier Deschamps has warned his team to be wary of a Sweden side with "nothing to lose" when the nations meet in the last 32 of the World Cup on Tuesday.
"Sweden not are playing for their survival. Obviously they will do everything to win the game, but they have nothing to lose," Deschamps told reporters Monday at the MetLife Stadium outside New York City, where the tie will be played.
"We need to stay humble, maintain our determination and concentration. In the group stage winning the first game gave us some margin for error, but now we have no second chances."
Deschamps returned to the France team's base in Boston on Saturday after missing the 4-1 win against Norway to fly home to attend his mother's funeral.
France came into the World Cup as one of the leading contenders to win the trophy, following their triumph in 2018 and defeat on penalties to Argentina in the 2022 final.
They were impressive in the group stage, at least after a shaky first half in their opening game against Senegal.
After winning that match 3-1 in New Jersey, they eased to a 3-0 victory over Iraq in a storm-interrupted contest in Philadelphia, and then hammered a second-string Norway in Boston.
Les Bleus were one of only three teams to take the maximum nine points in the group stage, along with reigning champions Argentina and co-hosts Mexico.
Their tally of 10 goals scored was also the joint-highest in the first round along with Germany and the Netherlands.
"We just need to stay confident, but now we wipe the slate clean," said Deschamps about the start of the knockout phase.
"We are confident but we know that the quality of the opposition will go up as well."
Sweden made it to the World Cup via the backdoor, finishing bottom of their qualifying group but parachuting into the play-offs thanks to their performances in the UEFA Nations League.
A comprehensive 5-1 win over Tunisia and a draw with Japan, either side of a 5-1 loss to the Dutch, took them through to this stage as one of the best third-placed teams in the group phase.
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"They are a good team, very athletic, but also with (Viktor) Gyokeres, (Alexander) Isak and (Anthony) Elanga, they have lots of quality in attack," said Deschamps.
The only previous meeting of the teams at a major tournament came at Euro 2012, just before Deschamps took charge of France.
Sweden won that group-stage encounter 2-0 in Ukraine with Zlatan Ibrahimovic among the scorers. He is now working as a World Cup pundit on US TV network Fox.
Deschamps revealed that Marcus Thuram is unlikely to be an option in attack for the game due to a minor muscle injury, while veteran midfielder N'Golo Kante is a doubt.
William Saliba is expected to return in central defence after resting against Norway due to back pain.
Meanwhile, France midfielder Adrien Rabiot said the squad were relieved to have Deschamps back again after his quick return trip home.
"It was quite difficult when he announced to us the death of his Mum and said he had to leave. It was a shock," admitted Rabiot.
"We are pleased to have him back. It is not easy to be mourning someone in these circumstances, but I think he has come back with a real desire to do well and go as far as possible in the competition."
The winners on Tuesday will advance to a last-16 showdown in Philadelphia on Saturday against the winners of Monday's match between Germany and Paraguay.
D.Verstraete--JdB
