Key events
So, De Jong is fit, and will start for the Netherlands.Memphis Depay starts on the bench, Quinten Timber out with concussion. Gyokeres and Isak lead Sweden attack. Yasin Ayari starts in midfield after scoring two goals against Tunisia.
The teams
Netherlands: Verbruggen, Dumfries, van Dijk, van Hecke, van de Ven, Gravenberch, de Jong, Reijnders, Malen, Brobbey, Gakpo. Subs: Flekken, Roefs, Ake, Geertruida, Hato, Kluivert, Koopmeiners, Lang, Depay, de Roon, Summerville, Til, Weghorst, Wieffer.
Sweden: Nordfeldt, Lagerbielke, Hien, Lindelof, Karlstrom, Bernhardsson, Nygren, Ayari, Gudmundsson, Gyokeres, Isak. Subs: Zetterstrom, Viktor Johansson, Herman Johansson, Bergvall, Svensson, Elanga, Sema, Ekdal, Starfelt, Svanberg, Smith, Zeneli, Stroud, Nilsson, Ali.
Referee: Michael Oliver (England)
The Sweden coach, Graham Potter, has been talking about Alexander Isak, who scored against Tunisia: “Alex has had a season that has been interrupted,” Potter said. “Most football players would say they need a certain amount of time and games to get up to top, top level, so we’ve had to try to build Alex up. I think there’s more to come from him.”
Joe Pearson gets in touch: “In progressive rock circles, Sweden is one of the leading countries of the genre, with artists such as The Flower Kings, Opeth, and Samla Mammas Manna all arising from there. Norway has also stuck its toe in, with the very fine Wobbler and less-mentioned Motorpsycho. On the whole though, I’ve got to give the advantage to Sweden. I mean, they’ve got Änglagård and Anekdoten on the bench!”
Dutch prog? I’m thinking Focus.
Koeman has also been talking about the 2-2 draw with Japan.
“First of all, the impact or influence of the substitutions was not positive and I am accountable for that of course. I accept criticism towards me. It’s not an issue. I took my decision because I spoke with my staff. I also made clear what I did want to change. We should have pressed more, high on the pitch, and we were not able to do
On Sweden: “They are pacy, they are strong and they are able to find the net,” Koeman said. “So we will focus on them, we’ll pay attention to them. But we have to focus on the entire Swedish team. They performed well on the pitch.“
Some early team news: Frenkie de Jong is a doubt for the Netherlands after colliding with Quinten Timber, who came on as a substitute in a 2-2 draw against Japan in Texas, and is definitely out with mild concussion.
Ronald Koeman was not happy, as these quotes suggest: “There was a collision which caused a light concussion, so Quinten will not play this match. After this match, he might be ready.
“But Frenkie also had minor complaints about his physical condition… let’s see how he will be tomorrow.
Koeman would only De Jong’s injury was “below his abdomen … Quinten tripped and this caused an injury for Frenkie. I have already explained quite a lot about his injury.”
So, what’s it actually like out there? Hear from our writers, in alphabetical order.
The mid-west charm in Kansas City is a reminder that the US is more than what you see on the news. The extreme weather’s tough, though. Last Saturday brought heat and high levels of humidity in the afternoon, then tornado warnings in the evening. It’s quite hard not to eat meat here. It feels like chicken is the vegetarian option. Are people interested in the football? It’s mixed. The USMNT’s opening game was on in our hotel lobby. A group of Americans were watching baseball on another TV and occasionally came over to check the score. But then I’ve just met a Chelsea fan during the Mexico v South Korea game. He knew his football. Jacob Steinberg
Have a read of Football Daily. Turkey out, if not the first team out. That was Haiti. Still, I fancy Turkey to do well one day.
The group table, as it stands.
Last time out, the team’s opening matches.
Preamble
Houston, we have an all-European tie to consider. This is a tough group, and Sweden’s opening show against Tunisia was impressive. The Dutch team fought out a high-quality draw with Japan. The magic four points is within reach for both, particularly with Tunisia to face in the last group game for the Dutch. Sweden’s win got Tunisia’s coach sacked, and if Ronald Koeman is safe, a defeat here will cause him considerable trouble. Sweden have found a formula in Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyökeres worked wonders while Yasin Ayari was superb. The Dutch were denied by Daichi Kamada at the conclusion of a 2-2 draw where they, typically, started slowly. The three-times losing finalists against the one-time losing finalist (1974, 1978 and 2010 v 1958) is a meeting of World Cup heritage, a heavyweight clash.
Kick-off is 6pm UK/1pm ET, 12pm Central/3am AEST. Join me.
