The reason is spelled the offensive Swedish super trio Alexander Isak, Viktor Gyökeres and Anthony Elanga. Murat Yakin means that the Swedish national team suffered from Isak not getting a proper preseason due to the prolonged transfer from Newcastle to Liverpool.
Isak did not play at all in the 2-2 match against Slovenia and then made a substitute appearance for 18 minutes in the 0-2 debacle against Kosovo.
Prior to Friday evening's sold-out World Championship qualifying match at Strawberry arena in Solna, Yakin assumes that a significantly stronger Sweden awaits, that Isak starts in pair with Gyökeres and that Elanga is also included in Jon Dahl Tomasson's eleven.
Three billion
One must always keep an eye on them. They are strikers you do not see for a while, but then they can suddenly appear, says Yakin to Blick.
The newspaper makes a big deal about the trio, at their club transfers this summer, together costing three billion kronor.
Granit Xhaka is Switzerland's team captain and has long experience of international top football. He made his national team debut as early as 2011.
From club football, he is best known from his years at Arsenal and Bayer Leverkusen. Since this summer, he is back in the Premier League, at Sunderland.
”A super challenge”
We have a very difficult away match and a super challenge ahead of us.
Sweden did not have the start that everyone, including themselves, expected. But if you study the team, the quality is definitely there. We know that we have to play very smart, he says to Blick.
Switzerland started the qualifying matches with two home matches: 4-0 against Kosovo and 3-0 against Slovenia.
