Tonight at 7:30 pm at St. Petersburg Stadium, Sweden will be seen chasing their first quarter final spot since 1994 and Switzerland will try to get to the last-8 after 64 years. This match is a great opportunity for both the teams, and no doubt they realize it.
It has been 24 years since Sweden found themselves in the last eight while the Swiss haven't seen a FIFA quarter final since 1954, that too when they were hosts; so it spontaneously becomes a win-win situation for both. The two teams have enjoyed their high points so far in Russia 2018. Suspensions of players can be pivotal. Vladimir Petkovic's side is supposedly to be missing major players like defender Fabian Schaer and Captain Stephan Lichtsteiner. On the other hand, Janne Andersson will not have Sebastian Larsson on his side.
Sweden came as underdogs in the tournament and they have enjoyed and played accordingly. Defence will once again be the key, but scoring three goals against Mexico was an important display of how effective and dangerous they can be if wanted. The team is harmonious and their desire to keep the World Cup journey alive is huge. On the other hand, the Swiss have a tendency to start their matches badly, but starting badly is the last thing they want to do today as they go against Sweden. They are aware that Sweden has more physical strength than them, so they will have to dominate the game right from the beginning.
