Who do Czechs need to watch out for? A youngster coveted by the giants, a Tottenham powerhouse and a Manchester talent

The Czech national team will play a World Cup barrier match against Sweden on Thursday. There are several dangerous players in the Nordic team, so coach Jaroslav Šilhavý will have a lot of work to do in preparation for the opponent.

Sweden has nominated a very strong team, coach Janne Andersson has all the mainstays at his disposal, unlike Šilhavý. The only absentee will be Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who is not missing in the nomination but cannot play against the Czech Republic because of a card penalty.

Which players should the Czechs watch out for the most?

Alexander Isak – striker – 22 years old – Real Sociedad

When he was starting to make his way into adult football, he was nicknamed the new Zlatan in Sweden. He was bought by Dortmund as a teenager, where he didn’t make much of a name for himself, but in his next commitments he reached his full potential.

His great strength is his versatility. He may have grown to a height of 192 centimetres, but he possesses extreme speed. Thanks to his height, he is also a threat from the air. And to make matters worse, he enjoys football life in Spain and has excellent technique, making it easy for him to go one-on-one.

Simply the prototype of the modern striker. Barcelona, Arsenal, Manchester United and Bayern Munich are already circling around Isak. His current market value is €40 million, but Real Sociedad are looking at at least twice that. In Sweden’s 4-4-2 system, he is assured of a place at the top of the attacking pair.

Dejan Kulusevski – winger – 21 years old – Tottenham Hotspur

A winger who impresses at first sight with his physique. Only 21 years old, the footballer is very strong in personal duels and also benefits from his explosive speed. His dominant left foot is very dangerous. He broke into adult football at Atalanta, where he was bought out by Juventus and in turn sent on loan to Parma.

That worked out great for Kulusevski, he scored 10 goals in 36 league games, added 8 assists and the next season Juventus kept him in the squad. He scored 7 goals and 7 assists for them last season, he was one of the revelations of the season and one of the better ones the Old Lady had to offer in an unsuccessful season.

But in the autumn he started to stagnate a bit, scoring just one goal in 20 games, and so came the winter move to Tottenham. In the Premier League he came back to life, scoring 2 goals and 4 assists in 9 games. He is a regular in the starting lineup and has a lot of confidence in Conte, who usually leaves him on the pitch for the whole game. In the Swedish 4-4-2 formation he plays as a right midfielder.

Emil Forsberg – midfielder – 30 years old – RB Leipzig

We’ve already introduced two talented youngsters, so now we’ve also introduced one seasoned fighter. Forsberg is a versatile midfielder, most often playing on the left wing. He stands out for his work rate, thanks to his fitness he can cover a lot of space.

At the same time, he also has a great game mindset and, last but not least, he can help the team with goals or assists. His best season was 2016/17, when he collected 8 goals and 19 assists in the Bundesliga.

He is already turning eight in Leipzig, including two seasons in the second Bundesliga. He has 67 starts for the Swedish national team, in which he scored 14 goals. He plays as a left midfielder in the Swedish 4-4-2 formation.

Anthony Elanga – forward – 19 years old – Manchester United

This season’s Comet. Elanga is an offspring of Manchester United, where he has started to make his mark in the A-team since the winter. He scored twice in the Premier League, earning the Red Devils a Champions League draw at Atlético Madrid.

He thus received his first invitation to the senior national team. But he also excelled in the Swedish national team, where he played in seven games and scored six goals. Alongside Isak in attack was Viktor Claesson, but due to the war in Ukraine, he terminated his contract in Krasnodar, Russia, at the beginning of March, so he is without a contract and has not played a game for over a month. So Elanga could get a chance in the starting lineup at his expense.

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