World Cup: Captain Skhiri and German-born Khedira start for Tunisia against Sweden
| Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images |
Sweden mark their World Cup return with a game against Tunisia, who are yet to qualify beyond the group stage. The two national teams have four players each currently plying their trade in Germany.
Eintracht Frankfurt’s Ellyes Skhiri will captain Tunisia, while Stuttgart-born Rani Khedira (Union Berlin) partners him in midfield on his competitive debut. Elias Saad, who spent the second half of the season on loan at Hannover, starts for Sabri Lamouchi’s side as his Augsburg teammate Ismaël Gharbi is named on the bench.
As for Sweden, Holstein Kiel’s Alexander Bernhardsson gets a surprise start as a wingback, while Daniel Svensson (Borussia Dortmund), Mattias Svanberg (Wolfsburg) and Eric Smith (St. Pauli) are all named among substitutes. Graham Potter’s team expect goals from Premier League superstars Alexander Isak (Dortmund) and Viktor Gyökeres (St. Pauli), who both had brief spells in Germany.
Confirmed Sweden vs. Tunisia Lineups
Sweden: Nordfeldt; Lindelöf ©, Hien, Lagerbielke; Bernhardsson, Ayari, Karlström, Gudmundsson; Nygren; Isak, Gyökeres
Tunisia: Chamakh; Abdi, Talbi, Rekik, Valery; Skhiri ©, Khedira; Ben Hamida, Mejbri, Slimane; Saad
