After the rip-roaring spectacle of Germany v Mexico yesterday afternoon, Group E’s other two teams – Sweden and South Korea – get their World Cup campaigns underway at 1pm in Nizhny Novgorod.
The match is likely to be of minimal interest to Fantasy managers, with no player on show owned by more than 3% of McDonald’s FIFA managers.
The omens aren’t particularly strong for a free-flowing exhibition of football or indeed a Fantasy points bonanza, though the fixture is surely now a must-win for both sides given Mexico’s shock victory yesterday.
Sweden haven’t won a FIFA-sanctioned match since their play-off first-leg victory over Italy last November and have scored on only two occasions in their subsequent seven fixtures.
South Korea have won only one of their last six friendly internationals, losing all three of their most recent meetings with European opposition. No Korean player scored on more than two occasions or registered over two assists in their ten AFC third round World Cup qualifying fixtures.
Despite us previously championing the causes of penalty-taking centre-back Andreas Granqvist (£5.0m) and creative full-backs Mikael Lustig (£5.5m) and Ludwig Augustinsson (£5.0m), it was Manchester United defender Victor Lindelof (£5.0m) who Fantasy managers gambled on: the Swedish centre-half is owned by 3% of those playing McDonald’s FIFA but is only among the substitutes this afternoon.
The Swedes kept clean sheets in both of their June friendlies.
Midfielder Emil Forsberg (£7.5m), who scored on four occasions, supplied three assists and had more shots on goal than any other Swedish player in qualification, is the only other main Fantasy draw in Janne Andersson’s side. Marcus Berg (£8.0m), the scorer of eight goals in World Cup qualifying, has been largely overlooked by Fantasy managers.
All Korean players owned by 1% or more of McDonald’s FIFA managers are £4.0m-rated goalkeeper and defenders: only one of them – Park Joo-ho – starts today in Russia.
