Sweden captain Andreas Granqvist on Tuesday said that Mexico has technical, skillful players who are capable of launching strong counterattacks, a day before their third 2018 FIFA World Cup Group F match.
Sweden is to face Mexico on Wednesday, which leads Group F after defeating Germany 1-0 in its first match on June 17 and beat South Korea 2-1 on Saturday.
“Mexico has a great team and they have shown it in their first two World Cup matches,” the 33-year-old center back said in a press conference after training in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg.
Sweden beat South Korea 1-0 in their first group match on June 18, thanks to a penalty kick from Granqvist, but lost 2-1 to Germany on Saturday, which the defender admitted was a disappointment.
“But at the same time, we showed that we can hold the world champion for 95 minutes, and if we put up with 95 minutes from Germany, it means we’re ready for the game against Mexico,” he explained.
Sweden and Germany were locked in a 1-1 tie until Die Mannschaft’s Toni Kroos scored the last-minute winner.
Currently, Sweden has three points and shares Group F’s second spot with Germany, followed by South Korea with zero points.