Charlie Cummings gives his best bet and prediction for the Sweden vs. Tunisia World Cup match on Sunday, June 14.
Best Bets: Sweden Moneyline (-110), Over 2.5 Total Goals (+115), Anthony Elanga Any Time Goalscorer (+400)
Tunisia performed quite well in the CAF qualifiers, but the Swedish are a level of test they haven’t passed recently. I expect this top Swedish attacking trio to run wild and put immense pressure on the Eagles’ back line all night long.
Group F play kicks off on Sunday. Sweden and Tunisia are on the outside looking in for the top two spots and need to pick up as many points as they can. Even though it’s the first match of the group stage for both teams, this has a knockout feel. Let’s get into a preview of both teams and a prediction.
Sweden had an awfully testy time getting into this World Cup. They barely survived the UEFA Qualifiers group stage, making it into a play-off. After defeating Ukraine 3-1 in the semifinal, they were matched up with a battle-tested Polish side for a spot in the Cup. Breaking an 88th-minute tie, it was Viktor Gyökeres who sent Sweden to the World Cup with the winner.
For Graham Potter’s side, it’s all about the attack. They boast an incredible striker duo between Gyökeres and Liverpool man Alexander Isak. Those two will have to provide many goals throughout the tournament. Anthony Elanga, the young Newcastle United winger, has a lot of pressure on his shoulders to provide consistent service to both.
The rest of the squad is a big question mark. Brighton youngster Yasin Ayari shoulders a heavy burden in center midfield, picking up a lot of defending and ball progression responsibilities. Jesper Karlström is a dependable veteran partner in their two-man midfield, but it’s a big ask for Ayari in his first World Cup.
Potter favors a five-man back line with three center backs and two wing backs. Daniel Svensson (Borussia Dortmund) and Gabriel Gudmundsson (Leeds United) are crucial to the Swedish attack; Tunisia’s defense will try to push them to the limits, where those two are comfortable playing. Victor Lindelöf (Aston Villa) is the man to watch among their three center-backs, and his steadying veteran presence will be significant for Sweden.
Tunisia was awfully impressive in the CAF World Cup qualifiers. The Eagles of Carthage won nine times and drew once, going undefeated. Impressively, they didn’t concede a goal throughout the entire qualifier. But the results since then have been suspect; they were upset in the AFCON Round of 16 by Mali, and won just one of their four friendlies in the lead-up to this World Cup. They need to swim against the current to make it through this group stage.
Manager Sami Trabelsi has no problem leaning on his veterans in the back. Dylan Bronn (Servette) and Montassar Talbi (FC Lorient) are the centers of the four-man back line, and both have proven to be solid. Ali Abdi (Nice) and Yan Valery (Sheffield Wednesday) are legitimate two-way talents as the outside backs and will provide important link-up play on the boundaries.
To bolster his defense, Trabelsi tends to use three central midfielders. The captain, Ferjani Sassi (Al-Gharafa), is the coach on the field. He’s complemented by Ellyes Skhiri (Frankfurt) and youngster Ismaël Gharbi (Augsburg), an emerging talent in Europe. Anis Ben Slimane (Norwich City) is likely to get a start at some point in this Cup, and may find himself in the lineup for this one. With Tunisia likely to buckle down defensively, those three will be awfully important to their back-line integrity.
Up top, Tunisia favors a two-striker approach with one attacking midfielder. Arguably their most talented attacker, Burnley midfielder Hannibal Mejbri will be crucial in connecting the midfield to the strikers. Hadj Mahmoud (Lugano) and Hazem Mastouri (Dynamo Makhachkala) should have the inside track to start up top. Still, Elias Saad (Hannover 96) and 18-year-old Vancouver Whitecaps talent Rayan Elloumi figure to be involved off the bench at a minimum.
Prediction: Though the gap in ranking between these two teams isn’t much, the talent gap feels immense. Sweden’s trio of Gyökeres, Elanga, and Isak will put significant pressure on the Tunisian back line, and I don’t see them containing them enough to pull this one out. Sweden’s defense also gives me pause, but they have fewer problems to solve than the Eagles.
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