Sweden started this year's Nations League with an away victory against Slovenia (2-0), where Emil Forsberg and Dejan Kulusevski scored the Swedish goals.

Since then, it has gone significantly worse - four straight losses.

Both Norway (2-1, 3-2) and Serbia (1-0, 4-1) have defeated Sweden twice each.

This means that Sweden, which fell out of the A-division in 2021, risks falling down another division before the fateful match against Slovenia.

- I said after the match against Serbia that I absolutely do not want to play in the C division.

We go into this game wanting to win and we have to win too.

So it's clear that the match is super important, says Sweden's team captain Victor Nilsson Lindelöf.

The prerequisites are clear

However, Janne Andersson's men have everything in their own hands before the decision in Solna.


In the event of a Swedish victory, blue and yellow remain in the B division, but a draw or a Slovenian victory, on the other hand, sends Sweden down to the C division.

A demotion to the C division would mean that Sweden would have to face easier, but at the same time less attractive opposition, the next time the Nations League starts.

- The prerequisites are that we have to win and that's the only thing we think about, I think everyone in the team thinks the same, says Nilsson Lindelöf.

Important before the EC qualifying draw

The placement in the Nations League is directly decisive for which pot you are drawn from in the European Championship qualifiers.


However, it is already clear that Sweden, regardless of the result against Slovenia, will be drawn out of the third pot at the draw that takes place on October 9 in Frankurt.


This means that Sweden will have to face not one but two, on paper, better teams in the European Championship qualifiers, which begin on March 23-25, 2023.