Preview

Data Analysis

 

Sports Mole previews Tuesday's friendly clash between Sweden and Northern Ireland, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Northern Ireland will be bidding to stretch their unbeaten run of form to six matches when they take on Sweden in an international friendly at Strawberry Arena in Solna on Tuesday night.

The visitors will enter the match off the back of a 1-1 draw with Switzerland on Friday, while Sweden suffered a shock 1-0 defeat to Luxembourg on Saturday, which ended a six-match unbeaten run.

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Match preview

Sweden were shocked by Luxembourg on Saturday, with a team that included the likes of Alexander Isak and Anthony Elanga suffering a 1-0 defeat in their opening match of 2025, so the Blue and Yellows will be determined to bounce back on Tuesday night.

Jon Dahl Tomasson's side performed excellently in their last UEFA Nations League campaign, topping Group 1 of League C to secure promotion to League B with a record of 16 points from six matches.

Sweden ended 2024 with three straight wins over Estonia, Slovakia and Azerbaijan, scoring 11 times in the process, and they now have another two friendlies against Northern Ireland and Hungary before beginning their 2026 World Cup qualification campaign against Slovenia in September.

The Blue and Yellows will also tackle Kosovo and Switzerland in Group B, and they will be desperate to be present in the finals of the 2026 World Cup, having missed out on a spot at the 2022 competition.

Sweden have tackled Northern Ireland on seven occasions, with both teams posting three wins, but it was 1-1 when the two sides last locked horns in October 2007 in a qualification fixture for Euro 2008.

There two teams have not met in a friendly since April 1996, when Sweden ran out 2-1 winners, and Northern Ireland will be looking to make it six matches unbeaten when they head to Solna.

Michael O'Neill's side will enter the match off the back of a 1-1 draw with Switzerland in a friendly on Friday night, with their last defeat proving to be a 1-0 reverse to Bulgaria last September.

Northern Ireland performed impressively in Group 3 of League C in the 2024-25 Nations League, picking up 11 points from their six matches to top the section, which earned them promotion to League B.

The national side will take on Sweden and Iceland in their next two matches, both of which are friendlies, before beginning their 2026 World Cup qualification campaign away to Luxembourg in September.

Northern Ireland have not been present in the finals of a World Cup since 1986, so it would be some achievement if the national team managed to book their spot in the 2026 competition.

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Team News

Viktor Gyokeres is a standout absentee from the Sweden squad, with the Sporting Lisbon striker missing due to a slight injury problem, while Tottenham Hotspur's Dejan Kulusevski is also not involved with the national side in this particular camp.

Head coach Tomasson will make changes from the side that started against Luxembourg last time out, but there should again be spots in the final third of the field for Premier League stars Elanga and Isak.

Manchester United centre-back Victor Lindelof was not involved against Luxembourg, but the 30-year-old is set to be introduced into the XI for the contest with Northern Ireland on Tuesday night.

The visitors are again likely to have Lee Bonis at the tip of their attack, with the 25-year-old bidding to score his first goal for the national side.

Isaac Price is the joint-leading goalscorer in the squad, finding the back of the net on seven occasions in 19 appearances, and the Burton Albion attacker should also be in the XI.

Queens Park Rangers attacker Paul Smyth should also be among the starters for a Northern Ireland side that were extremely impressive against a talented Switzerland outfit last time out.

Sweden possible starting lineup:
R Olsen; Starfelt, Lindelof, Gudmundsson; Holm, Ayari, Karlstrom, Saletros, Sema; Elanga, Isak

Northern Ireland possible starting lineup:
Charles; Hume, McNair, Brown, Spencer; Smyth, Charles, Saville; Smyth, Bonis, Price

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We say: Sweden 1-1 Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland's recent run deserves a lot of respect, and we fancy them to make it six games unbeaten on Tuesday night; Sweden are the favourites and will have home advantage, but O'Neill's side should be able to claim a share of the spoils.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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