Deschamps: “Remain humble” against Sweden

Didier Deschamps insisted on the need to “remain humble” before the round of 16 of the World Cup against Sweden. Despite the confidence linked to a flawless performance in the group stage – three victories for the first time since 1998 – the French coach warned that the level of requirements must remain high.

This will be the 24th confrontation in all competitions between France (12 victories) and Sweden (6 victories), but only their third opposition in a major tournament and their first in the World Cup. In the two previous major meetings, the Swedes had obtained a 1-1 draw at Euro 1992 then won 2-0 at Euro 2012.

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France remains on six consecutive victories in the World Cup against European teams; no team in the history of the competition has had seven consecutive wins against UEFA nations. Despite these figures, Deschamps stressed that the margin for error no longer existed at this stage of the tournament: “Sweden is not playing for its survival. Obviously they will do everything to win the match, but they have nothing to lose,” he told reporters. “We must remain humble, maintain our determination and focus. In the group stage, the victory in the first match gave us a margin for error, but now we don't have a second chance. We must remain confident, but start from scratch. We are confident but aware that the quality of the opponent will also increase. »

Sweden are playing their eighth knockout round at the World Cup. On the previous seven occasions, they have only been eliminated in the first round twice: a 2-1 loss to Senegal in 2002 and a 2-0 loss to Germany in 2006.

On an individual level, Viktor Gyokeres stood out in the group stage for Sweden, leading his team with 11 shots and eight chances created — the best stats of the Swedish contingent. Since 1966, only Ralf Edström in 1974 (18 shots, 15 chances) and Tomas Brolin in 1994 (20 shots, 17 chances) were among the players in the same tournament to total 10+ shots and 10+ chances created. Gyokeres is looking forward to facing an Arsenal teammate, William Saliba, who will be fit for this round of 16: “It will be fun to meet him again. We have a good relationship,” he said. “He’s an extremely funny guy who brings a lot of energy. A guy you want to have around you, an important person in the locker room. We are going to go there with the conviction that we can win the match. If we have a very good day, it can make a good match. »