Sweden’s Viktor Gyokeres is locked in ahead of their massive clash against favourites France, while Ivory Coast and Norway look to make history in Dallas. Photo: IANS
Image: IANS
Viktor Gyokeres warned his Sweden side earlier this week that they will have to be "almost perfect" defensively if they are to cause an upset against France in the Fifa World Cup last 32.
The 2022 runners-up, France, will be strong favourites to beat Sweden when they meet on Tuesday in New Jersey (kick-off 11pm). Speaking at Sweden's training base in Dallas, Arsenal striker Gyokeres made no attempt to play down the scale of the task facing his team.
"We will have to be at our best, we have to do our defensive organisation almost perfect and then of course to take the chances we will get," he said.
Sweden squeezed into the knockouts, thrashing Tunisia 5-1 and then losing to the Netherlands by the same scoreline. Graham Potter's side, who needed to go through the playo-ffs to reach North America, edged through the group with a 1-1 draw against Japan.
Despite an erratic campaign, Gyokeres said: "We have our confidence.
"I think we have to believe in ourselves. We've seen in a lot of games this tournament that you can win games (as underdogs). You can do well even though you play against the best teams.
"Of course, we might be the underdogs, but we still believe in ourselves."
Gyokeres will come directly up against Arsenal teammate William Saliba, something he is relishing.
Asked about that prospect, he said: "I'm looking forward to seeing him and playing against him, it's going to be fun."
France made a statement in the group phase to show why they are one of the favourites, winning all three matches, with Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele both scoring four times so far.
Meanwhile, a place in the World Cup Round of 16 will be at stake when Ivory Coast face Norway at Dallas Stadium on Tuesday (kick-off 7pm) in a knockout clash featuring two teams enjoying landmark campaigns.
Ivory Coast have reached the World Cup knockout rounds for the first time after finishing second in Group E. Emerse Fae’s side began with a win over Ecuador, suffered a narrow loss to Germany despite taking the lead, and sealed qualification with a 2-0 victory over Curaçao inspired by a Nicolas Pepe brace.
Norway, returning to the World Cup after a 28-year absence, advanced from Group I with victories over Iraq and Senegal before ending the group stage with a defeat to France. Erling Haaland has been the team's driving force, scoring four goals to establish himself among the tournament's leading marksmen.
The Ivorians are monitoring Wilfried Singo's recovery from a hamstring injury, while Ousmane Diomande and Odilon Kossounou are expected to anchor the defence if he misses out. Franck Kessie will once again be key in midfield, with Pepe leading the attack.
Norway also have a fitness concern over Julian Ryerson. If the defender is unavailable, Fredrik Aursnes could move into the backline, allowing Patrick Berg to join Martin Odegaard and Sander Berge in midfield.
With both nations chasing another piece of history, an evenly matched contest is expected in Dallas. | AFP and IANS