Sweden vs Chile
This should have been one of the friendly football games to savour less than three months before the start of the World Cup.
Yet, amazingly, this clash in the Friends Arena only features one nation which will grace the summer spectacle in Russia.
That’s because the biggest sports betting shock of all last autumn came for the Copa America holders.
For so long, Chile seemed on track to qualify for what organisers call the ‘greatest show on earth’.
Then three losses in their final four qualifiers saw them drop out of the qualifying spots and meant star men like Alexis Sanchez and Arturo Vidal would spend the sunnier months on the beach while many of the world’s stars are on the biggest stage of all.
Perhaps that is why new coach Reinaldo Rueda has included uncapped players in his squad for their visit to Solna.
Although star names remain in the squad, the likes of Claudio Bravo, Jorge Valdivia and Gonzalo Jara miss out, so new faces are likely to feature at some point.
The South American have lost four of their last six and, without a major tournament to look forward to this summer, this seems an ideal time to experiment.
Less so the Scandinavians who, while likely to give outings to some fringe players, will want to have a settled first XI in place for their opener against South Korea on June 18.
Janne Andersson has been reportedly considering a plea to ask country hero Zlatan Ibrahimovic to come out of retirement, but that is probably wishful thinking from sections of the media and support who miss the great talisman.
And why should he? The Swedes displayed both talent and spirit in the camp which led to the massive play-off success in November over Italy which means the Azzurri, like Chile, are big-name absentees.
As Chile look to rebuild, Sweden look to build on a success which also saw them come through a qualifying group which contained France and Holland—the Dutch also casualties of the campaign.
The Friends Arena has been a happy hunting ground for Sweden in their last five competitive matches. There is no reason why that won’t continue this weekend.
Both nations have points to prove, but Sweden may just have that bit more!
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