Sweden Coach Jan Andersson says there’s no pressure on his side against Italy – “we can play without fear”.
The two sides face off next month in the World Cup play-off, as both seek to make it to next summer’s tournament in Russia.
“More than anything, I was happy to know the opponent,” Andersson recalled, speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport’s Extra Time supplement about the draw.
“That meant I could start studying them, preparing myself, working instead of waiting.
Sweden Coach Jan Andersson says there’s no pressure on his side against Italy – “we can play without fear”.
The two sides face off next month in the World Cup play-off, as both seek to make it to next summer’s tournament in Russia.
“More than anything, I was happy to know the opponent,” Andersson recalled, speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport’s Extra Time supplement about the draw.
“That meant I could start studying them, preparing myself, working instead of waiting.
“Italy are a great nation with a huge amount of history and tradition. It’s obvious we’ll face a great opponent, and I have a lot of respect for Italy and the task that awaits us. Respect, but no fear.
“Italy have the capacity, but we have to do our job. I’m a solid person.
“Certainly the pressure is on the Italians and not us. Sweden have already done more than expected.
“That doesn’t mean we’re content, but we’re already winners and we can play without fear.
“We need to play as we’ve done before, apart from against the Netherlands we’ve always scored. And we’ve always created a lot of chances.
“I’m not thinking about Italy’s players, but my own. They’re all of a high technical level, but I don’t waste time thinking about players I don’t train.
“I focus on the things I know, I don’t guess.
“There’s no point thinking about history, [Claudio] Gentile doesn’t matter now, nor how many World Cups Italy have won.
“All that counts is the present, how things are today, the players and the current game; theirs and ours.
“San Siro? The emotions will also come down to the result in Stockholm, how we stand. It’s great to play Italy at San Siro though.
“I’ve been several times, and it’ll be great to be protagonists there. We have to try to enjoy the moment.
“In this clash we have nothing to lose, but everything to win.”