Our prediction for this World Cup 2026 match:
Greece and Sweden face each other in a highly-anticipated World Cup qualifier at Stadium of Athens Spiros Louis. The Greeks were on the verge of beating Kosovo on the road, but Vedad Muriqi eventually saved one point for the hosts. John Van’t Schip’s troops have drawn each of their three group games, and, no doubt, they are determined to return to winning ways. The good news for the hosts is that experienced midfielder Zeca returns from suspension. The Swedes, on the other hand, aim to put an extra pressure on Group B leaders Spain.
Alexander Isak has been scoring goals for fun of late, meaning that the opposition defenders should have him at bay. Since Sweden impressed in the 2-1 win over Luis Enrique’s troops, we are positive that they will grab something from Wednesday’s qualifier. Milan attacker Zlatan Ibrahimovic is out of contention for the visiting team.
Highlighted Player (Andreas Samaris):
Greece international midfielder Andreas Samaris began his career playing for Panachaiki before his spells with Panionios and Olympiakos. SL Benfica is the first international experience for the 27-year-old player who arrived in Portugal in 2014.
A full international since 2013, Samaris represented Greece at the 2014 FIFA World Cup during which he managed to make his presence known and earn a move abroad. Andreas Samaris operates as a central midfield but is capable of filling in defensive midfielder role. Greek international was the mainstay for Benfica during his first two seasons at the club managing 46 Primeira Liga appearances during the period. He also added 12 Champions League appearances.
Andreas Samaras helped Benfica win two Primeira Liga titles, two Taca da Liga trophies and one Super Cup. Greek international was the regular performer for his national team during the unsuccessful Euro 2016 qualifying campaign with ten games to his name.
Highlighted Team (Sweden):
Sweden are the most successful Nordic side on international stage having been present at major competitions since 1934. Blagult missed out on the 1952 World Cup trophy on home soil as they were beaten by star-studded Brazil side, while they finished in third place at the 1950 and 1994 tournaments, and finishing fourth on their second appearance in 1938.
As far as their European Championship record is concerned, Sweden also achieved their best result in front of home fans, reaching the last four in 1992, and they have since reached the quarter-finals at Euro 1994 in Portugal.
Anders Svensson and Thomas Ravelli are team’s most capped players with over 140 appearances each, but it is strikers Henrik Larsson and Zlatan Ibrahimovic that will go down as the most famous Swedish footballers in history. The later also leads the goalscoring charts with over 60 strikes for the national team and he is widely regarded as one of the most colourful characters, not only in Scandinavia, but in world football.