While international friendlies don't in and of themselves have much meaning, sometimes you wind up with a fascinating matchup or two. That's the case here with France and Sweden, as two sides that are wildly inconsistent but always capable of entertainment go head to head.
France vs. Sweden live stream: Time, TV schedule and how to watch online
A depleted Sweden side looks to upset the odds against a strong and tough-to-predict France team.
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Making things more difficult for the visitng Swedes is that they will be missing their biggest star in Zlatan Ibrahimović, as well as several other injured regulars. Losing Ibrahimović, who has been struggling with a foot injury for much of this season, will force Sweden to adjust and adapt to a different game plan than normal, where France are more or less at full strength and readiness. Even still, Sweden should never be counted out as Erik Hamren is always one to make the most of his situation.
Key player - Alexander Kačaniklić (Sweden)
With Ibrahimović out of the Sweden squad for this match, Sweden's attack will need a new focus to really do damage to France. That means an opportunity to shine for Kačaniklić, who's slowly been becoming a more and more important part of the Scandinavian side. The left winger sat the bench against Montenegro on Saturday, so he'll be nice and fresh to try to run whichever right back France deploys ragged. His pace, crossing, and direct penetration in to the box has the ability to cause a lot of problems for France, and he will definitely be one to watch in this match.
Key Question - How does the French midfield line up?
Didier Deschamps has been moving away somewhat from his traditional 4-3-3 setup in recent months, making it tough to predict who he’ll be plugging in to his midfield or what kind of roles they’ll be employed in. Making it an even tougher read is that the French midfield depth chart reads like an embarrassment of riches, with several guys who have limited caps with France that most any other country would be jealous to have. It looks likely that the midfield that faced Albania will be rotated rather significantly, but there’s still a multitude of options available for Deschamps to choose from, especially with him finally breaking his tactical rigidity.
Match Date/Time: Tuesday, 9 p.m. local, 3 p.m. ET
Venue: Stade Vélodrome, Marseilles, France
TV: TF1 (France), TV4 (Sweden)
Online: ESPN3 (U.S.), TV4 Play Premium (Sweden)
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