Sweden Lineup vs Ukraine OUT: Gyokeres To Start, Isak Absent

The European qualifiers are on the horizon as the teams are gearing up for one of the most prestigious showdowns of the year, in a bid to seal a place in the FIFA 2026 World Cup. Path B of the World Cup Qualifiers sees Ukraine take on Sweden in the first semifinal, the winner of which will take on either Poland or Albania in the final playoff game.

The Ukraine national football team finished second in their respective group behind France. Their only two defeats came against the French; other than that, they had a decent run, which consisted of three wins and one draw.

Although they scored 10 goals in the meantime, they conceded a total of 11 goals, which has put question marks on their defensive prowess in recent times. Their last appearance in the World Cup was back in 2006, and they will be eager to finally make it through after a long absence of 10 years.

Meanwhile, the Sweden national football team finished last in their group, failing to win in each of their six matches. They picked up two draws and four losses, making it one of their worst World Cup qualifying campaigns of all time.

However, luck played a huge part for the Swedish team as they were offered a playoff place due to their performance in the previous Nations League C, where they topped the group. Their new manager, Graham Potter, has been in charge of just two games, after Jon Dahl Tomasson was sacked following the shock 1-0 defeat against Kosovo.

Potter has managed a 4-1 win defeat at the hands of the Switzerland national football team, and a 1-1 stalemate against Slovenia, thanks to a last-minute goal from Gustav Lundgren. The Swedes, too, have a problem in defensive transitions, which has cost them a lot in the qualifiers.

As the two teams take the field today in a do-or-die match, let's take a tour of the Sweden lineup vs Ukraine and further details about how Ukraine have set their team up despite missing some important players.

Ukraine vs Sweden Lineups CONFIRMED

Have a look at the lineups of both teams from the Path B semifinal. Ukraine are missing key players, including Oleksandr Zinchenko and Artem Dovbyk. Ruslan Malinovskyi and Yukhym Konoplia are also out for this game due to the accumulation of too many yellow cards.

Vitaliy Mykolenko starts as the left-back in Zinchenko's place, with Oleksandr Tymchyk taking up duties on the other flank. Ilya Zabarnyi and Oleksandr Svatok are the centre-backs for this match, supported by a midfield three of Yehor Yarmoliuk, Ivan Kaliuzhnyi, and Mykola Shaparenko.

Oleksandr starts on the left wing while Viktor Tsigankov plays on the right-hand side. Vladyslav Vanat is the sole number nine in the Ukraine lineup.

Coming to the Sweden lineup, there are a lot of changes that could be seen. Alexander Isak misses out due to a leg injury, but that doesn't prevent one of the best strikers in the world currently, Viktor Gyokeres, from taking up added responsibilities in this match.

Emi, Krafth, Dejan Kulusevski, and Viktor Johansson are also unavailable, which opens up spots for others to show their caliber in a high-voltage match. Isak Hien and Viktor Lindelof are the designated centre-backs, with Gabriel Gudmundsson playing as a left back.

Hugo Larsson and Yasin Ayari play as a double pivot in the Sweden lineup, while FC Barcelona's Roony Bardghji starts on the left flank. Anthony Elanga starts on the right in place of the injured Dejan Kulusevski.

Ukraine Lineup vs Sweden

Here's the Ukraine lineup that will take the field against Sweden in the playoff semifinal.

Trubin; Tymchyk, Zabarnyi, Svatok, Mykolenko; Yarmoliuk, Kaliuzhnyi, Shaparenko; Tsigankov, Vanat, Zubkov.

Sweden Lineup vs Ukraine

Check out the confirmed Sweden lineup from Ukraine vs Sweden.

Nordfeldt; Lagerbielke, Hien, Lindelof, Gudmundsson; Larsson, Ayari; Bardghji, Nygren, Elanga; Gyökeres.