Ireland and Sweden will go head to head in a Euro 2025 qualifier match tonight at the Aviva Stadium. This game brings with it ambition, hope and determination for Ireland to achieve their first victory in League A of the Euros qualification group and even better yet, a win on home soil.
The last time the girls in green met their Swedish counterparts was in a World Cup qualifier in in April 2022, a game that ultimately resulted in a 1-1 tie. The Swedes would go on to finish top of that World Cup qualifier group and achieve a third place finish in the tournament itself.
Having played France and England, the latter of which being the world’s number two ranked side, it is clear that Ireland have been dealt a competitive group for the Euro qualifiers. However, this group of players have shown that they are capable of competing with nations of that level, even if results have not gone their way in the campaign up to this point.
Sweden preparing for tomorrow @ballsdotie pic.twitter.com/OYZCjWGbe2
— Gina Bagnulo (@GinaBagnulo3) May 30, 2024
Representatives from Sweden, including manager Peter Gerhardsson and captain Kosovare Asllani, spoke to the Irish and Swedish media on Thursday.
Gerhardsson has seen his side go from strength to strength over the past year with an impressive World Cup performance as well as his players' success at club level.
While Ireland’s World Cup experience was short-lived, they managed to get promoted after going undefeated in their 2023 Nations League campaign and now have to contend with some of the best sides in the world.
"They have good players but they have also I think the coaches at their club teams, for me it's always the club coaches who develop players, it’s not me. I think the level is higher. If a player is at a good club with good coaches, that’s good for the national", Gerhardsson said on the Irish and Swedish national team players.
The Swedish manager also expressed his admiration for Ireland captain, Katie McCabe whose personality on the pitch he sees as ideal for any footballer to emulate.
I would say that McCabe is one of my favourite players because she is typical for the way to play. She’s one of the best players in Arsenal and she plays with passion, she plays with strength, she plays with good technique.
What I like also is she is a little bit a winner. You can say angry, but I like it. She couldn’t be in my team so we have to handle that.
Swedish captain Kosovare Asllani emphasised that this competitive game needs to be physical in terms of Sweden’s counter-attack.
📍Dublin, Ireland
Back at it with 🇸🇪 and 2 important Nations league games ahead! pic.twitter.com/IQuJqOyigG— Kosovare Asllani (@KosovareAsllani) May 27, 2024
I am expecting a 100 percent Ireland. I mean it is a team that plays with a lot of heart, I feel like that is how the Irish national team like to play, play with a lot of heart. And they have a really aggressive way of playing, so we are not talking about specific players, even though we know their qualities.
I think the whole team has a lot of qualities. It is about winning games and how do you win with the team that you have. And that is the way they have been playing."
Chelsea’s Nathalie Björn has experienced tremendous success at both club and international level this season. The Blues won the English Women’s Super League (WSL) for the fifth consecutive year as their manager Emma Hayes celebrated her last victory before embarking on a new journey with the US Women’s National Team. Additionally, prior to the WSL season, Bjorn was included in Sweden’s 23-player squad for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup that, as previously mentioned, saw them finish in third place.
"She runs the line. She holds the line. She leads the line" 💪
Emma Hayes praises 'leader' Nathalie Bjorn 🙌 pic.twitter.com/mERenVepbM— Sky Sports WSL (@SkySportsWSL) January 27, 2024
On her upward trajectory she said, “Coming from winning the league (WSL) brings confidence and that can bring a winning mentality to this Swedish group. We have a lot of players throughout Europe who are competing at the top level and winning trophies. So to be able to bring that into international level will help the group and try to bring us to the next step."
SEE ALSO: The Fresh Ireland XI We Want To See Picked For Huge Sweden Clash
