Sweden vs. France 9/5/20 UEFA Nations League Soccer Pick, Odds, and Prediction

Sweden is welcoming France to Friends Arena in round 1 in the UEFA Nations League.

Sweden was in a fantastic form before the pandemic, and they have lost only 1 of their last 13 games. Thanks to Sweden’s great performance in the Euro Cup qualifications, they ended up in 2nd place with 21 points, and Sweden has qualified to the Euro Cup where they will play against Spain and Poland, while their last opponent is yet unknown. In their last competitive game against the Faroe Islands, Sweden was the better team with 65% of ball possession, 9 shots on goal, 7 corner kicks, and 87% of the correct passes. Sweden has won this match 3-0. There aren’t any big names in the Swedish roster for this game, and most of the players are playing in the Swedish national league, but they are a good team, and everyone would have had a tough time beating them. Thanks to their good results, Sweden is in 17th place in the FIFA standings, and they absolutely deserve it. Sweden has had the same head coach since 2016, and they have been constantly improving. During his time at the helm, Andersson has 24 wins, 12 draws, and 12 losses. Sweden is a good team, but I don’t expect them to accomplish a big result in the Euro Cup next year, advancing past the group stage would have been an accomplishment for Sweden.

France is one of the best teams in the world, and they have won the last World Cup. Thanks to that success, France is in second place in the FIFA standings. In the Euro Cup qualifications, France has had 8 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss, and with 25 points, France has won their group, 2 points ahead of Turkey I might add. France hasn’t lost any of their last 7 games, and in their last game against Albania on the road, France was the better team. France has had 58% of ball possession in that game, 5 shots on goal, 5 corner kicks, 4 big chances created, and 86% of the correct passes. With 2 goals in the first half, France has won this match 0-2. France is coming into this cycle with possibly their strongest roster with Griezmann, Mbappe, Kante, Fekir, Varane, Lenglet, Digne, and Lloris. In the Euro Cup next year, France will be playing in the strongest group, Group F with Portugal and Germany, while the fourth team is yet to be determined. France is a good team, especially in the attacking end, but they haven’t deserved to win the World Cup in my opinion. I know some people might get mad when they read this, but France was not the best team in the tournament, and they had the biggest help from the referees, but still, France is one of the favorites to win the Euro Cup, and we will see what happens.

Sweden is coming with its weaker roster, while France is close to full strength. I know Sweden is the home team, but without the audience, that doesn’t mean much. I will side with France here.