The Swedish World Cup Squad was announced yesterday with qualifying hero Jakob Johansson being left out due to injury.
Sweden World Cup Squad:
Goalkeepers: Karl-Johan Johnsson (Guingamp), Kristoffer Nordfeldt (Swansea), Robin Olsen (Copenhagen)
Defenders: Ludwig Augustinsson (Werder Bremen), Andreas Granqvist (Krasnodar), Filip Helander (Bologna), Pontus Jansson (Leeds), Emil Krafth (Bologna), Mikael Lustig (Celtic), Victor Lindelof (Manchester United), Martin Olsson (Swansea)
Midfielders: Viktor Claesson (Krasnodar), Jimmy Durmaz (Toulouse), Albin Ekdal (Hamburg), Emil Forsberg (RB Leipzig), Oscar Hiljemark (Genoa), Sebastian Larsson (Hull City), Marcus Rohden (Crotone), Gustav Svensson (Seattle Sounders)
Forwards: Marcus Berg (Al Ain), John Guidetti (Alaves), Isaac Kiese Thelin (Waasland-Beveren), Ola Toivonen (Toulouse)
Jakob Johansson, the scorer of the goal that qualified Sweden for the World Cup, will not be part of the country’s 23-man squad heading to Russia.
AEK Athens midfielder Johansson was left out of the squad announced by Sweden coach Janne Andersson on Tuesday after he failed to recover from a serious knee injury sustained in the second leg of the European playoffs against Italy in November.
Sweden beat Italy 1-0 on aggregate, with Johansson netting the goal in the first leg in Stockholm.
Included among the eight midfielders was Albin Ekdal, who recovered from injury to play the final games of the Bundesliga with Hamburg.
With Zlatan Ibrahimovic retired from internationals, Sweden’s attack will be led by a striker who plays in the United Arab Emirates — Al Ain’s Marcus Berg.
There will be one MLS player in the squad, though, as Seattle Sounders midfielder Gustav Svensson was added after making four substitute appearances in the World Cup qualifiers, including both legs of the playoff against Italy.
Sweden are in Group F with South Korea, Germany and Mexico.
