Sweden v Czechia Betting Tips [24 March 2022]
Football - World Cup
24 March 2022 15:45
The match
Sweden hosts Czech Republic with a spot in the Qatar World Cup on the line as these two nations meet for the World Cup qualifying playoff. Despite finishing third in their qualifying group behind Belgium and Wales, the Czech Republic’s strong showing in the UEFA Nations League sees them earn this matchup against a Sweden side who finished second to Spain. Sweden were leading the group on 15 points ahead of Spain’s 13 points with two matches left but back to back defeats means the Blue and Yellow will now have to go through the playoff gauntlet to ultimately decide their Qatar fate. Sweden’s last match was a 1-0 defeat to Spain while the Czech Republic will be in better spirits after coming off two straight wins after defeating Estonia 2-0 in their last match.
The Czech Republic are missing out on a lot of key players due to injuries. Most notably Patrik Schick, the star striker performed wonderfully in the Euros for his country, scoring one of the most memorable goals in the tournament’s history, and has carried that form over into the Bundesliga. Schick leads the scoring charts at Bayer Leverkusen with 20 goals from 20 matches and his absence in this match is a bitter blow to the visitors chances. Sweden, on the other hand, have much more depth and quality in their squad currently. The fantastic Dejan Kulusevski will likely have his fingerprints all over this match as the 21-year-old has had an excellent start to life in London with Tottenham. Combine that with other stellar pieces such as Alexander Isak and Emil Forsburg and it’s hard to see the hosts letting this opportunity slip away.
Key Statistics
- Most of Sweden’s troubles have come away from home. At home they have been fantastic, winning all four of their qualifying matchups.
- Czech Republic have been decent away from home in this competition with a record of two wins and two losses.
- Sweden have won their last nine matches when playing at the Friends Arena in Stockholm.
The bet of our experts
We’re going to back the hosts Sweden to get the job done and advance to the next round. The injuries to the visitors may prove to be too much to overcome especially coming up against a Sweden team that has been tremendous when playing at home. Ultimately we can see this one ending 1-0 or 2-0 for the hosts.
