Sweden will have revenge on their minds when they host Greece in a 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying fixture at Friends Arena. The Greeks ended Sweden's 100% record in Group B but the hosts are usually formidable at home and should claim the points.
Sweden are coming off a 3-0 victory over Kosovo in their previous qualifying fixture. A first half penalty from Emil Forsberg set them on their way while Alexander Isak and Robin Quaison added further goals after the break.
It was a good way to bounce back from the 2-1 defeat to Greece in their previous outing in the qualifiers. They have won four of their five matches in Group B and sit just one point behind leaders Spain with a game in hand.
Home form has been pivotal for manager Janne Andersson during these qualifiers as Sweden have won all three of their matches at Friends Arena. However, defending appears to be a problem lately as they have kept just one clean sheet in their last six matches across all competitions.
Greece were also victorious in their previous qualifying fixture as they triumphed 2-0 over Georgia. They were frustrated for much of the encounter before scoring twice in added time though Anastasios Bakasetas and Dimitris Pelkas.
The Greeks have been on the rise recently and travel to Sweden unbeaten in their last three qualifying matches. John van’t Schip's men have played themselves back into contention for a playoff place and sit just three points behind Sweden.
Despite their recent resurgence, Greece have found things difficult on their travels. The win over Georgia was their first away victory in the qualifiers.
How the bookies view it
The bookies have Sweden as overwhelming favourites for the win at 13/15 with SBK. A victory for Greece is priced at 7/2 by BetVictor while a draw is set at odds of 27/10 with Unibet.
Head to head
Greece have a 3-2 advantage with three draws from eight previous matches against Sweden. The Greeks claimed a 2-1 victory in the reverse fixture back in September.
Players to watch
Alexander Isak and Robin Quaison have impressed for Sweden and were on target last time out against Kosovo. Paddy Power has Isak at 6/4 to score anytime while betfair is offering 5/2 on Quaison in the same market.
Greece also have some attacking quality in with forwards Anastasios Bakasetas and Dimitris Pelkas both on the score sheet in the previous fixture. Bakasetas is priced at 4/1 by William Hill to score anytime while Paddy Power has Pelkas at 13/2 in the same market.
Anything else catch the eye?
There has been BTTS in five of Greece’s last six matches and a similar outcome could be on the cards at 5/6 with BetVictor. Sweden have seen over 2.5 goals in that last four matches across all competitions and could be set for a repeat at 11/8 with Sporting Index.
Sweden have scored in both halves in three of their last four qualifying matches and Tuesday’s clash is likely to follow a similar pattern at 12/5 with bet365.
This World Cup match between Sweden and Greece will be played on Oct 12, 2021 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Sweden vs Greece prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
