Nothing flashy about hard-working Sweden

Manager Janne Andersson

Sweden have taken care of footballing royalty on their way to qualifying for the World Cup so few can doubt their place in the finals even if many supporters would rather have seen Holland or Italy in Russia.

With Zlatan Ibrahimovic retired - unless he makes a sensational return - there is nothing flashy about a hard-working Swedish side determined to enjoy their first World Cup finals since 2006.

Bundesliga assist king Emil Forsberg is about as close as Sweden get to an individual worth watching, although that did not stop Janne Andersson's side from beating a star-studded French outfit before showing defensive prowess to overcome Italy 1-0 in the playoffs.

Centre-backs Victor Lindelof and Andreas Granqvist were magnificent in the second leg in Milan but 30-something strikers Marcus Berg and Ola Toivonen are the only squad members to have notched more than six international goals.

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