Sweden vs. Italy live stream: Watch World Cup qualifying online
Sweden play Italy at Friends Arena on Friday, Nov. 10. Here’s all the info you need to watch.
Either Italy or Sweden will not take part in this summer’s World Cup. The prospect that a country with a soccer pedigree such as Italy’s, winners as recently as 2006, could miss out on the tournament looms large over the Azzurri. Should Italy falter, it would be the first time since 1958 the Azzurri would miss out on the finals.
Italy face a solid Sweden side, despite the international retirement of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and the opening match will very much dictate how this series will unfold. No European team seems easy to defeat these days. Just ask Iceland. Indeed, this home-and-away series is the marquee matchup of the World Cup qualifying playoffs.
The Italians play the opening game of the two-legged series in Solna, just north of Stockholm, at the 51,000-seat Friends Arena. Don’t let the name fool you. This game will be everything but friendly. The Azzurri hold an all-time series lead against the Swedes with 11 wins, six draws and six loses. The last time the sides met, the Italians prevailed 1-0 at the 2016 European Championship.
Italy’s history aside, these teams are pretty evenly matched. Sweden have lost just once in eight home matches with Italy and are unbeaten in their last seven competitive home matches. The Scandinavians, however, have not defeated Italy since 1998.
Sweden striker John Guidetti, who plays in Spain with Celta Vigo and has an Italian-born father, predicted that “the winner will be whoever makes fewer mistakes” over two legs.
Guidetti, in an interview with the Italian sports daily La Gazzetta dello Sport, said, “Friends Arena will be full, 50,000 people, and it’ll be the same at San Siro [for the second leg]. I played there once with Celtic and it’s a magnificent stadium. It’s as though the World Cup has already begun. One team will get to continue, for the other it’s all over.”
He added: “Obviously, Italy are favorites, of the four teams we could get they’re the worst to face but I think the opposite is true too: they wouldn’t have wanted to play us. We have respect for a great team, but fear isn’t the right word to describe our mood. We came out alive from a hard group with the Netherlands and France, we believe in ourselves and we’re convinced we can do it. At the European Championships we only lost 1-0 with a late goal.”
The Italians will be looking to come out strong following a string of lackluster performances under coach Giampiero Ventura dating back to this summer’s 3-0 loss against Spain. Ventura has called up a mix of domestic and foreign-born players onto his 27-man roster, highlighted by the return of striker Simone Zaza after more than a year. The 26-year-old striker has tallied eight goals in his last seven La Liga games, although his scoring streak ended this past Saturday in the 3-0 win over Leganes.
Also back on the team are Roma midfielder Alessandro Florenzi for the first time in a year after being sidelined due to an injury, while Napoli midfielder Jorginho, who is a dual national with Brazil, is on the roster and said recently he is committed to play for the Azzurri. Torino striker Andrea Belotti, who missed last month’s games against Macedonia and Albania, has also been called up, alongside Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti, who also missed out of last month’s World Cup qualifiers. Missing, once again, is Toronto FC star Sebastian Giovinco.
The Italians are also concerned about the second leg game to be played three days later in Milan’s San Siro Stadium. Four of Ventura’s men – Giorgio Chiellini, Marco Parolo, Ciro Immobile and Verratti – are in danger of missing that game should they pick up another yellow card.
Sweden’s 25-man roster also features three Serie A-based players, including defenders Filip Helander and Emil Krafth, who both play for Bologna. The Swedes also feature midfielder Gustav Svensson, who plays for Seattle Sounders FC.
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The World Cup qualifying game between Italy and Sweden will be broadcast live on Fox Sports 1. Live streaming is available through Fubo.TV.
Date: Friday, Nov. 10
Start time: 2:45 p.m. ET
Location: Solna, Sweden
Stadium: Friends Arena
TV Info: Fox Sports 1
Live Stream: Fox Sports Go, Fubo.TV
Despite Itay’s solid roster, Sweden coach Janne Andersson told reporters he’s confident his team can advance to the World Cup finals for the first time since 2006.
“We have everything to win, and my feelings are good,” he said. “There’s nothing in the world I want more than to go to Russia next summer, but I don’t feel the pressure of the nation on me. Italy have a team full of top players though. We had the toughest qualification group against the Netherlands and France and we played some really good games.”
Ventura countered that assertion at his own news conference, saying on Monday: “They’re physical and well organized. It’s part of their DNA. But the real problem isn’t what Sweden does. It’s what we do. Italy has to play like Italy. We’ve always been there when there’s something important to play for.”