Sweden was tight on Ibrahimovic’s readiness for the central Spain qualifier
Sweden will remain on Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s readiness ahead of its decisive World Cup qualifier against Spain on Sunday, where manager Janne Andersson will dismiss all questions about his availability and physical condition.
Sweden must beat Spain in Seville to automatically qualify for Qatar 2022, while a draw would be enough for the Spaniards to advance. The runner-up goes to the playoffs in March.
Striker Ibrahimovic played another 90 minutes in Thursday’s 2-0 loss to Georgia in Group B after playing for AC Milan against Inter Milan in Serie A last weekend.
– May see on Sunday how he feels but I have a pretty good idea already, although I will not reveal this because it can be a tactical advantage for our opponent, Andersson said at a press conference on Saturday.
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A third start in a week might take a chance given 40-year-old Ibrahimovic’s recent injury problem, which has seen him miss half of Milan’s matches so far this season.
“His mindset is as always. He is here and 100% with his team. There is no communication at all with Milan about how we should use him or not. If he is in shape to play, he will play”, Andersson added .
Asked if Zlatan would agree to stay on the bench for such a decisive match given his competitive nature, Andersson said: “I do not know how it is in other teams (but) in Sweden, it is I who decides who plays or not.”
After Sweden’s surprising 2-0 defeat in Georgia, Spain leads Group B with 16 points, one point ahead of the Swedes, who will receive on Sunday in their last group game.