Sweden made two changes to the lineup for the country's final European Championship match against France.
The Swedes, who
have already been eliminated, stuck to their habit of announcing their
starting 11 nine hours before kickoff Tuesday night. France will have
plenty of time to make any adjustments, needing only a draw to advance
to the quarterfinal.
Sweden will start with Ola Toivonen up front
in place of Johan Elmander, as coach Erik Hamren chose to rest the
Galatasaray striker who just recently returned from a right foot
fracture. Emir Bajrami will make his debut at the tournament on the left
wing in place of Rasmus Elm, who is ill and struggling with a knee
problem.
Assistant coach Marcus Allback said Bajrami will bring
more speed to the Swedish attack in Elmander’s absence, which could open
up more space for Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Elmander started against
England, but Allback said his foot still isn’t fully healed and that
Sweden will rest him “out of respect for his club.”
The rest of
the lineup remains unchanged from Sweden’s 3-2 loss against England as
Hamren kept his promise to field his strongest team despite not having a
chance of advancing. Sweden will head straight to Kyiv’s airport after Tuesday’s match.
