Sweden vs Slovakia Prediction: Sweet success for Swedes at Strawberry Arena

Sweden and Slovakia are both tied on 10 points and guaranteed a top-two spot heading into the final two rounds of fixtures in Uefa Nations League Group C1. However, after drawing 2-2 in Bratislava last month, Saturday's (19:45, Viaplay International YouTube) head-to-head at the Strawberry Arena in Solna represents a winner-takes-all clash as a victory for either would clinch first place.

Below is my Sweden vs Slovakia prediction, complete with all the latest team news and match odds.

Team News

Sweden head coach Jon Dahl Tomasson has some serious attacking options at his disposal with Tottenham Hotspur's Dejan Kulusevski, Newcastle United's Alexander Isak and Sporting's Viktor Gyokeres all set to start against Slovakia on Saturday.

Nottingham Forest winger Anthony Elanga, however, is absent after failing to feature in the 2-2 draw in Bratislava on October 11 or the 3-0 victory over Estonia in Tallinn three days later. According to Tomasson, the 22-year-old has ignored attempts to contact him.

Eintracht Frankfurt forward Hugo Larsson, meanwhile, has withdrawn due to injury, joining Newcastle's Emil Krafth and Malmo's Hugo Bolin on the sidelines.

Lech Poznan's Alex Douglas is suspended for Sweden's first Nations League fixture this month due to an accumulation of yellow cards.

Football Odds

Slovakia are boosted by the return to fitness of Stanislav Lobotka, who missed four Napoli matches before making his comeback as a substitute in their 1-1 draw with Inter Milan last Sunday.

Slavia Prague forward Ivan Schranz, who scored three times at Euro 2024, where Slovakia were knocked out by England in the last 16, is also back fit for the national team for the first time since the summer.

Sparta Prague winger Lukas Haraslin and veteran Slovan Bratislava midfielder Juraj Kucka are both out injured, however.

Sweden vs Slovakia Odds

*Please click on the link above to be taken to the main Sweden vs Slovakia page on betfred.com (or app) for all the live betting prices on this match.

Sweden are 8/11 favourites on Saturday, giving the hosts an implied win probability of 57.9%, while Slovakia are 100/30, or a 23.1% chance, to finish their away campaign with a 100 per cent record.

The draw is available at 11/4, both teams to score at 4/6, and over 3.5 total goals at 13/8.

Gyokeres (1/1) and Isak (7/5) head the anytime goalscorer market, with Slovakia striker David Strelec, who bagged a brace in his country's draw with Sweden last month, 12/5 for the visitors.

Match Result & Both Teams to Score - Sweden & Yes @ 11/5

Both sides have won three and drawn one of their opening four Nations League fixtures this term, with the only stalemate being against each other.

Sweden have brushed past Azerbaijan (3-1 away) and Estonia (3-0 home, 3-0 away), while Slovakia edged past Estonia (1-0 away) before more comfortable victories over Azerbaijan (2-0 home, 3-1 away).

With both teams on 10 points, head-to-head matches being the tie-breaker and just one game left after Saturday, the winner of this weekend's clash will be crowned winner of Group C1 and seeded for next year's Nations League finals.

Sweden and Slovakia have scored in every group game so far, including twice against each other in Bratislava last month, and I don't see that stopping on Saturday.

There was nothing to separate them in the Slovakian capital but home advantage might just see the Swedes through this time around.

Slovakia only squeezed past Estonia in their first away outing, finding the winner in the 70th minute, and they were 1-1 in the 70th minute with Azerbaijan in Baku when the hosts' forward Mahir Emreli was dismissed.

Anytime Goalscorer - Viktor Gyokeres (SWE) @ 1/1

You're unlikely to find the Sporting striker at EVS to score anytime very often these days, so when you get the chance, I'd advise you to grab it.

Gyokeres is one of the most-talked-about centre-forwards in Europe at the moment, with a hat-trick in a 4-1 win over reigning Premier League champions Manchester City in the Uefa Champions League earlier this month further cementing his reputation as one of the best in his position.

That treble against Pep Guardiola's side took his season tally to 27 for club (23) and country (four), pretty remarkable statistics considering we're only just over three months into the current campaign.

After a five-game scoring streak, his joy in front of goal came to an end in Sunday's 4-2 victory over Braga, but the 26-year-old will be eyeing up Saturday as an ideal opportunity to get back in the goalscoring groove.

He didn't manage to get on the scoresheet in last month's 2-2 draw with Slovakia in Bratislava but has struck in all of his other three Nations League group games - one away to Azerbaijan, two at home against Estonia, and one away to the same opponents last month.

Considering how pretty much everything he touches turns to gold at the minute, I'd be surprised to see Gyokeres blank for a second successive game, so at EVS, I'm more than happy to back him to find the net anytime on Saturday.

Offers

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