Sweden vs Albania

Friends Arena is the venue as Sweden and Albania lock horns in a friendly for the first time since 2004.

As the first-ever foreign manager in Sweden’s history, Jon Dahl Tomasson must have hoped for a better start to his tenure than a humiliating 5-2 defeat to Portugal last week. A dreadful performance in the Iberian Peninsula knocked the ‘Blagult’ down from a two-game winning streak, reinforcing the skepticism surrounding the Swedish camp after an underwhelming Euro 2024 qualifying campaign. But neutrals have at least enjoyed Sweden’s recent matches, with three of their last four internationals featuring over 2.5 goals, highlighting the potential for a high-scoring contest. Adding to this sentiment, except for a 0-0 draw in 2008, all four remaining showdowns between Sweden and Albania have produced 3+ goals, with the Swedes coming out on top three times (L1).

Unlike their hosts, the Albanians will compete for continental glory in Germany this summer after securing a top-table finish in qualifying Group E (W4, D3, L1). However, Albania’s preparations for only their second appearance at a major tournament started with a whimper rather than a bang as Chile thumped them 3-0 in Parma, Italy, last week. That was their first defeat since March 2023, marking the end of an eye-catching eight-game unbeaten stretch (W5, D3). Worryingly for head coach Sylvinho, his men have failed to score in back-to-back games ahead of this fixture, an unwanted feat they’ve avoided in four of their five previous clashes against Sweden. Excluding matches held on neutral ground, the visitors have netted under 1.5 goals on 13 of their last 14 travels.