Sweden face scoring challenges without Gyokeres
Sweden faces its second friendly match of this international break without Viktor Gyokeres, who was sorely missed in the previous match against Luxembourg, against whom they lost.
Viktor Gyokeres is one of the trendiest strikers in European soccer. He will almost certainly leave Sporting CP this summer in search of a more demanding destination, where he will be able to prove whether he is ready for a big challenge or has been a team's flower.
What is becoming clear is the striker's impact on the Swedish national team. In the last 3 matches he has not been called up -all of them friendlies-, the Swedish team has left with 3 defeats, the last three of the national team.
It happened in the first match of the March international break. Sweden, despite having another great striker in Alexander Isak, lost 1-0 to an inferior Luxembourg.
The same thing had happened to Sweden before, albeit with two stronger teams. It was in the June break, when they faced Denmark (2-1) and Serbia (0-3), against whom they lost without the Sporting CP striker.
It is only a small sample but it is reflected in the results. With Gyokeres himself on the pitch, Sweden have not lost for nine games, against Portugal in March 2024.