Sweden stepped up and delivered in their playoff clashes against tough opposition, so I like their chances of exploiting Tunisia’s poor form.
Key Stats
- Sweden have won 2 of their last 4 matches.
- Viktor Gyokeres has scored 5 goals in his last 3 matches for Sweden.
- Tunisia have lost their last 2 matches.
Swedes Lead H2H
Sweden have a minimal 2-1 advantage against Tunisia in terms of victories, one of their head-to-head clashes ending level.
The Blue And Yellow Carry High Scoring Potential
Sweden had disastrous results in the World Cup 2026 qualifiers, collecting just two points in six matches in Group B to finish last behind Switzerland, Kosovo and Slovenia, scoring only four goals, then appointed Graham Potter as the new national coach in late 2025.
Thanks to their Nations League accomplishments, they were granted a spot in the playoffs. In the semifinals, the Swedes were heavily carried by Viktor Gyokeres who scored a hat-trick against Ukraine, a game they won 3-1.
In the playoff finals, they locked horns against Poland at home and celebrated a 3-2 victory, Gyokeres being the hero once again scoring the winning goal just before stoppage time.
Their June friendlies were quite action-packed, starting with a 3-1 defeat to Norway in Oslo, followed by a 2-2 draw against Greece in front of the home crowd last week.
Tunisia’s Form Declined After the Qualifiers
Tunisia were the most dominant team in the African World Cup 2026 qualifiers, topping Group H with nine wins and one draw without conceding a single goal (22-0).
They had high hopes for AFCON 2026, barely advanced to the playoffs and then got eliminated by Mali on penalties in the Round of 16 (1-1 after extra-time). As a consequence, Sami Trabelsi was sacked, succeeded by Sabri Lamouchi.
The Eagles of Carthage didn’t find stability under new leadership, losing both of their June friendlies to Austria 1-0 (had one-man advantage for 50+ minutes) and Belgium 5-0 (registered just one shot on target).
Team News & Predicted Lineups
Sweden (4-2-3-1) Viktor Johansson; Gabriel Gudmundsson, Victor Lindelof, Isak Hien, Carl Starfelt; Mattias Svanberg, Jesper Karlstrom; Anthony Elanga, Lucas Bergvall, Alexander Isak; Viktor Gyokeres
Victor Lindelof is the captain with 75 appearances and 3 goals for Sweden. Surprisingly, veteran Emil Forsberg didn't make it to the final list. Dejan Kulusevski had a lot of problems with injuries this season and was also left out.
Premier League star strikers Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres are expected to lead the attack here. These two players combined have scored 37 goals for the national team (17 and 20 goals respectively). Anthony Elanga also had a decent season for Newcastle and is expected to be
Tunisia (4-3-3) Aymen Dahmen; Yan Valery, Montassar Talbi, Dylan Bronn, Ali Abdi; Rani Khedira, Ellyes Skhiri, Hannibal Mejbri; Anis Ben Slimane, Firas Chaouat, Elias Achouri
Yassine Meriah and Ali Maaloul were not called up after playing at AFCON 2025. Veteran Ferjani Sassi allegedly withdrew from international football in December too.
Yassine Meriah and Ali Maaloul were not called up after playing at AFCON 2025. Veteran Ferjani Sassi allegedly withdrew from international football in December too.
Ellyes Skhiri is captaining for Tunisia, expected to make his 84th appearance here.