Tribal Football

Forest winger Elanga earns Sweden recall

Anthony Tomas
Anthony Elanga missed the November international window
Anthony Elanga missed the November international windowJOEL MARKLUND/BILDBYRĹN/Shutters / Shutterstock Editorial / Profimedia
After being dropped for the November international window amid reports of a falling out with manager Jon Dahl Tomasson, Anthony Elanga is back in the Dane's Sweden squad for the March international window.

The Nottingham Forest winger has been recalled for The Blue & Yellow's friendlies with Luxembourg and Northern Ireland, as they continue to build towards 2026 World Cup qualification.

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His availability is a welcome boost to the side, given that Dejan Kulusevski has been ruled out with a foot injury and is the only major absentee from the squad.

Also returning to the squad is goalkeeper Robin Olsen, who was last called up in October and has recently played returned between the posts for Aston Villa.

Despite no competitive matches this month, Tomasson has not made wholesale changes to his squad, suggesting he is happy with his current crop of players.

There is one new addition to the squad, however, Elfsborg's Besfort Zeneli, who impressed in his side's UEFA Europa League campaign.

The 22-year-old, born in Sater, has switched international allegiance to Sweden, having previously represented Kosovo at under-21 level.

Tomasson will once again be blessed with a wealth of attacking talent, with Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres in the squad, while centre-back Victor Lindelof will captain the side.

Five wins and a draw between September and November earnt Sweden promotion from League C of the UEFA Nations League and they will be aiming to continue that form before they begin their World Cup qualifying (WCQ) campaign this September. 

They take their three-match winning streak to the Stade de Luxembourg on March 22 (18:00 CET) for a meeting with Luxembourg, who themselves impressed in UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying, picking up 17 points - seven more than Sweden.

On March 25, Sweden welcome Northern Ireland to Solna's Strawberry Arena for another friendly, kicking off at 19:00 CET.

In WCQ, Sweden will need to better Slovenia, Switzerland and Kosovo in Group B to gain an automatic place at the 2026 tournament.

The Sweden squad in full:

Goalkeepers: Victor Johansson, Christopher Nordfeldt, Robin Olsen

Defenders: Samuel Dahl, Hjalmar Ekdahl, Gabriel Gudmundsson, Isaac Hien, Gustaf Lagerbielke, Victor Lindelof, Ken Sema, Carl Starfelt

Midfielders: Yasin Ayari, Lucas Bergvall, Hugo Bolin, Jesper Karlstrom, Hugo Larsson, Anton Saletros, Besfort Zeneli

Forwards: Anthony Elanga, Niclas Eliasson, Viktor Gyokeres, Alexander Isak, Sebastian Nanasi