The previous outings for both these sides was back in March, with the hosts thrashing Azerbaijan 5-0 in the Euro 2024 qualifiers, while the All whites got the better of China 2-1 in a friendly.
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Sweden will host New Zealand in an international friendly at Friends Arena on Friday. The previous outings for both these sides was back in March, with the hosts thrashing Azerbaijan 5-0 in the Euro 2024 qualifiers, while the All whites got the better of China 2-1 in a friendly. Having failed to qualify for the World cup in Qatar, the Blue and Yellow will be desperate to earn a spot in the finals of the European Championship in Germany next year and will take on Austria in their third Group F-match next week. The visitors, meanwhile, lost out to Costa Rica in the World Cup intercontinental playoff and have not played a competitive fixture in nearly 12 months.
🟡 𝗠 𝗔 𝗧 𝗖 𝗛 𝗗 𝗔 𝗚 🔵
🆚 Nya Zeeland 🇳🇿
🏆 Träningslandskamp
🏟 Friends Arena
⏱ 19.00
🎟️ https://t.co/rN9R2arMwb
📺 TV6 & Viaplay pic.twitter.com/toHye7rYEP— Svensk Fotboll (@svenskfotboll) June 16, 2023
Sweden failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar following a 2-0 loss to Poland in the playoff final in March last year. And then, the Blue and Yellow had a disappointing Nations League campaign, losing four of their six games to finish at the bottom of Group 4 in League B. Although, Blagult got back to winning ways with four successive triumphs in friendlies across November and January, they suffered a 3-0 thrashing against to Belgium in their opening match of the Euro qualifier on March 24 in Stockholm. But, four days later, Janne Anderson’s men thrashed Azeerbaijan 5-0 thanks to Emil Forsberg’s 38th-minute opener, an own goal by Bahlul Mustafazada in the 65th-minute and one goal each from Viktor Gyokeres, Jesper Karlsson and Anthony Elanga. The result meant that Sweden have won five of their last six games across all competitions.
New Zealand, on the other hand, failed to earn a tick to Qatar almost seven months ago courtesy of Costa Rica forward Joe Campbell’s lone goal in the inter-confederation clash at Ahmed Bin Ali Stadium. The All whites returned to action in the March international break, participating in two friendlies against China, playing out a goalless draw in the first one, before securing a 2-1 win in the second one thanks to Zhu Chenjie’s own goal and Matthew Garbett’s 81st-minute effort. The Kiwis have won only one of their last seven fixtures, while losing four games in the period.
Sweden probable starting lineup: Olsen, Egnell, Lindelof, Ekdal, Gudmundsson, Kulusevski, Larsson, Gustafson, Forsberg, Gyokeres, Isak
New Zealand probable starting lineup: Sail, Payne, Boxall, Pijnaker, Cacace, Bell, Stamenic, Just, McCowatt, Rojas, Greive
Sweden
| Opponents | Score |
| Azerbaijan | 5-0 (W) |
| Belgium | 0-3 (L) |
| Iceland | 2-1 (W) |
| Finland | 2-0 (W) |
| Algeria | 2-0 (W) |
New Zealand
| Opponents | Score |
| China | 2-1 (W) |
| China | 0-0 (D) |
| Australia | 0-2 (L) |
| Australia | 1-0 (L) |
| Costa Rica | 1-0 (L) |
The international friendly between Sweden and New Zealand will take place at Friends Arena on Friday at 10:30 pm IST.
| Sweden vs New Zealand | Key Details |
| Date | June 16 |
| Venue | Friends Arena |
| Kickoff time in Sweden | 7:00 pm (Friday) |
| Kickoff time in New Zealand | 5:00 am (Saturday) |
| Kickoff time in India | 10:30 pm (Friday) |
Football fans in New Zealand can catch the live action via Sky Sport 3 NZ and Sky Go NZ. Meanwhile, those in Sweden can watch the game via TV6 Sweden and Viaplay Sweden.
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