Sweden staying focused

The mood in the Sweden camp is serious ahead of tonight’s crucial clash with Kazakhstan, with star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic adding his voices to those demanding focus on the tie in Astana rather than speculating about likely play-off opponents.

“We are focusing on the away match against Kazakhstan,” said Ibrahimovic. “I am not even thinking about the play-off, but if you make any mistakes they will cost dearly”.

Team-mate Sebastian Larsson agreed all the remaining qualifying matches were very important. “We have an advantage now. It is very important to win the away matches, that is why we are very serious about the game with the Kazakhstan team. We can’t afford to make any mistakes,” Larsson said.