Ljungberg - a fitness worry for the game

By PA Sport Staff

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Sweden coach Lars Lagerback said he was "hopeful" Fredrik Ljungberg would be fit for Sunday's World Cup second round meeting with Senegal in Oita.

Barcelona defender Patrick Andersson may have returned home to Sweden because of a thigh injury but Ljungberg is making progress after missing Wednesday's 1-1 draw with Argentina with a hip problem.

After arriving in Oita, Lagerback said: "We have a little question mark over Fredrik Ljungberg but he did a practice this morning and it looks hopeful. I'm not sure today but he's probably at our disposal if we want him to play."

The Swedish team doctor, Anders Valentin, said they would have a better idea of the player's availability after fitness tests tomorrow. "We'll see after tomorrow if he will be able to play. Now he's been resting for a few days and he's feeling better off the field but we'll see when he starts to put his weight on it."

Aside from Ljungberg's fitness, the Swedes arrived in Oita on the southern Japanese island of Kyushu with every reason to be positive after finishing top of Group F, ahead of England and Argentina.

However, Lagerback did his best to play down the rising expectations about his side's World Cup prospects. Should Sweden defeat Senegal they would face Japan or Turkey in the last eight - giving them, on paper at least, an excellent chance of repeating their 1994 run to the semi-finals.

Lagerback, who was part of Tommy Svensson's backroom staff at USA 94, said: "I was part of it in 94 and it was really nice and I wouldn't mind doing it again but you can't think like that - it's just concentrating on the next game, You can always have some dreams but not when you're working anyway.

"We started this World Cup as big outsiders and being in the toughest group this was perhaps more than people expected. Back home now I can imagine there's a lot of expectation building up because perhaps a lot of Swedish football fans don't think Senegal are so good - on paper they are not as good as Argentina but we know we will have a tough game."

Sweden defeated another African side, Nigeria, in the group stage but Lagerback expects a different approach from the Senegalese, who qualified from Group A ahead of deposed champions France.

"If you look at their individual skills I don't think it's any different but their way of playing is a little bit different," he said.

"Nigeria play a little bit more of a passing game with some individual players dribbling a lot. Senegal I think play more directly, attacking as soon as they can."

When asked about his own side, the Swedish coach said "hard work" was the key to their success but stressed they were "good footballers" too.

"I think we have a very good organisation in the team and everyone is working very hard for each other," he said.

"If you look for instance at Henrik Larsson I've never seen one of Europe's best goalscorers working so hard for his team. I think that's the main explanation. Beside being good footballers, we have very good organisation, the players' character, and the fact they work so hard for each other."