Sweden has two concerns going into its opening European Championship game against Ukraine on Monday — Johan Elmander's foot and the co-host's crowd support.
Elmander is Sweden’s only major injury worry, with the forward struggling to recover from a fracture in his right foot. He worked out separately on Thursday, June 7 while the rest of squad held their first training session in Ukraine on the outskirts of Kyiv.
Elmander is coach Erik Hamren’s top choice to start alongside Zlatan Ibrahimovic up front, and is expected to begin participating in full training on June 8.
Hamren says "so far it’s looking good, and he’s very positive."
Hamren sounded more concerned about facing Ukraine, saying "if you look at the statistics, it’s not often that the host nation loses its opener."
