Sweden is heading back to the World Cup stage, and three Bundesliga stars are leading the charge. Graham Potter has announced his 23-man squad for the tournament, marking Sweden's first appearance since 2006—a long-awaited return for the 1958 finalists.
Borussia Dortmund's Daniel Svensson is poised to battle Leeds United's Gabriel Gudmundsson for the starting left-wing spot. The 24-year-old has been a consistent presence in the Bundesliga this season, playing in every match until Dortmund's thrilling 3-2 win over Eintracht Frankfurt last Friday.
Two Bundesliga rivals will put their club loyalties aside for national duty. Eric Smith of St. Pauli and VfL Wolfsburg's Mattias Svanberg face off this weekend in a match that could decide relegation playoff fate. Come summer, they'll be teammates, taking on Tunisia, the Netherlands, and Japan in the group stage.
Smith, a 29-year-old central defender, has yet to debut for Sweden after leaving the squad during the last playoffs due to injury. With his contract at St. Pauli winding down next season, a move could be on the horizon. Svanberg, meanwhile, hit a personal milestone with his 100th Bundesliga appearance against Bayern Munich last Saturday. Though he's only started seven league games for the relegation-threatened side this term, he made late substitute appearances in playoff wins over Ukraine and Poland.
Holstein Kiel's vice-captain Alexander Bernhardsson adds another Bundesliga 2 flavor to the mix. The winger started five of six qualifiers before missing the playoffs through injury, but his form has been electric—two goals and nine assists in the 2. Bundesliga this season.
Not everyone made the cut, though. Eintracht Frankfurt's Hugo Larsson is a notable omission, despite a strong second half of the season. Swedish outlet Fotbollskanalen reports the young midfielder was "absolutely devastated" by the news. Also left out are Borussia Mönchengladbach's January signing Hugo Bolin and former Schalke attacker Jordan Larsson—son of Swedish legend Henrik.
On the bright side, former Borussia Dortmund striker Alexander Isak has been named in the squad, despite a debut Liverpool season plagued by injuries. The goalkeeping duties will fall to Kristoffer Nordfeldt and his backups, as Sweden looks to make a splash on the global stage.