Welcome to the Friends Arena in Stockholm for our live coverage of the international friendly between Sweden and Armenia.
With the European Championships now just six days away, this weekend brings the latest – and last – warm-up match for players to boost their fitness and prove their worth before the finals.
For Sweden coach Janne Andersson, it’s an opportunity to give as many of his squad some minutes before the action starts for real with a match against Spain in Seville on Monday week.
There is no Zlatan, of course, after the talismanic striker’s return to the international scene was cut short by injury, and so the Blue and Yellows invest their hope in youth; tonight’s strikeforce of Alexander Isak and Dejan Kulusevski are both 21-years-old.
Armenia won’t be at this year’s delayed Euro 2020 tournament, but their Spanish head coach, Joaquin Caparros, has them in the middle of their most successful ever run.
The Collective Team are currently unbeaten in nine matches in all competitions, and currently top their World Cup qualifying group – featuring Germany and Romania – with three wins from three.
Perhaps most impressive is that this impressive start to their qualifying campaign has been achieved without Roma’s Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who has been struggling with a muscle injury.
In the former Arsenal and Manchester United man’s absence, Caparros has put together a promising young squad. Their 1-1 draw in Croatia on Tuesday showed that they will be more than a test for tonight’s Scandinavian opponents.