Sweden Embraces Underdog Role Against France at World Cup

The Swedish national team is unfazed by its underdog status ahead of Tuesday's Round of 16 clash against France at the World Cup in New Jersey.

On Sunday, the Swedes held a training session, focusing specifically on penalty shootouts. They are expected to employ a deep defensive block, looking to create scoring opportunities through counter-attacks against the French squad.

“Honestly, I don't think much about whether we are favorites or not. What's more important is that we will do what we've been talking about all year – we will give our absolute all. If we succeed, we have a great chance to beat them,” midfielder Daniel Svensson told SVT.

“They are among the title contenders, so it's normal for them to be favorites against us. I consider them as such too,” he added.

Midfielder Yasin Ayari also predicted a tough match against the 2018 World Champions and 2022 finalists.

“We will have to defend a lot, but I believe we will also be able to create chances against them. We are convinced that we can be dangerous,” he said. “We have good players and we believe in ourselves as a team, so I think we can beat them. We are going into this match with full confidence and, of course, we hope to win.”