Sweden's national football team prepares for a key VM qualifier against Kosovo at Ullevi in Gothenburg. With only one point after three matches, the team faces pressure, while Kosovo sits second in the group. Coach Jon Dahl Tomasson defends his side and dismisses rumors about his future.
The match on October 13 at 8:45 PM marks Sweden's first competitive international at Ullevi since 2009. The Blue-Yellows have started the VM qualifiers poorly with one point: 2-2 against Slovenia, a 0-2 loss to Kosovo in Pristina in September, and recently 0-2 against Switzerland. Kosovo, ranked 95th, has four points and leads the group ahead of Sweden after half the matches.
Kosovo's forward Fisnik Asllani expressed surprise at Sweden's point tally. 'I'm quite surprised to be honest. We're talking about a very good team with many skilled offensive players,' he said at the press conference. Kosovo coach Franco Foda expects Sweden to stick with an attacking style. 'Their coach wants to play offensively, be aggressive. That's their style. The difference now is that Alexander Isak is likely to start and we'll see if (Anthony) Elanga plays,' Foda commented.
Coach Jon Dahl Tomasson opened his press conference with a defense of his team. 'We all know, me and the players, that we haven't started the qualifiers as we wanted, but we also know that second place is within reach,' he said, understanding the fans' disappointment. Rumors that the Swedish Football Association is seeking a replacement after poor results have been denied by national team chief Stefan Pettersson and football chief Kim Källström, who confirmed trust in Tomasson. He dismisses the claims: 'There are always rumors.' His contract runs until March if Sweden fails to qualify for next summer's VM.
Striker Viktor Gyökeres, who recently won the Gerd Müller award for most goals in club and international play, looks forward to the game. 'The grass looked good. If it's full tomorrow and we have a lot of support behind us, it will feel like playing at home,' he said. He described the award, previously given to Kylian Mbappé, Harry Kane, and Robert Lewandowski since 2021, as a great honor but the speech as stressful: 'It was max pulse.'
