Sweden host Italy in the first leg of their World Cup qualifying playoff tie on Friday, with the hosts looking to give themselves something to build upon for when they meet in the return leg. Despite being the underdogs for victory, Sweden are a team who can beat anyone on their day, with a tight battle expected at the Friends Arena, located just outside Stockholm.
World Cup Qualifiers Playoff – Friends Arena, Solna – Friday 10th November – 19:45 UK Time
|
Draw Best Odd of: 21/10 at Ladbrokes |
|
Sweden
ItalyMatch Preview
Having both finished as runners up in their respective World Cup qualifying groups, Sweden and Italy meet this week in the first-leg of their playoff clash. With Italy undoubtedly being one of the leading nations in the world, with four World Cup successes to their name, the Azzurri will be looking to dominate proceedings on Friday evening. However, with Sweden having made improvements since the retirement of legendary figure Zlatan Ibrahimović, the home side will fancy their chances of causing an upset. Let’s take a closer look at the two teams, as well as offer our top betting tip for those who fancy a wager on this high-profile match.
Sweden Team News & Form
Manager Janne Andersson saw his team win six of their ten matches in Group A in the process of finishing second behind France, with the Scandinavian team looking to qualify for their first World Cup since 2006 in Germany. Andersson has named a hugely experienced squad for the match against Italy, with the likes of Marcus Berg and Emil Forsberg among their biggest attacking threats.
Meanwhile, despite not finding his best form for Manchester United since his arrival in England, defender Victor Lindelof is set to start for the home team. Sweden scored a massive 26 goals from their ten qualifying matches, with their attack set to pose a significant threat to the Italian defence this week.
Italy Team News & Form
Italy finished five points behind group winners Spain during the opening round of qualifying, with Gian Piero Ventura’s men having to settle for a place in the playoffs as a result. Having conceded just eight goals in their ten games, Italy continue with their strong tradition as a defensively sound team, with the likes of Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini offering massive experience for the visitors.
At the other end of the field, Ciro Immobile has started off the season in fine form, with the Lazio forward hoping for a starting birth on Friday night.
Head to Head
The two teams have met a total of 22 in the past, with Italy having won ten of those encounters, as well as drawing six times. Italy have also won the last two meetings by a scoreline 1-0 with a last Swedish victory dating back to 1998.
Betting Odds and Predictions
Given their history in this competition, many of the major bookmakers have Italy as the narrow favourites for victory this week, despite being the away side. The Azzurri can be backed at best odds of 29/20 with PaddyPower, while those looking to bet on a home win for Sweden can take advantage of 23/10 odds from the same bookmaker.
Top Betting Tip
However, our top betting tip for the match is to bet on both teams to score during the 90 minutes, which can be found at best odds of 1/1 with William Hill.