Young Swedes head east

A fresh-faced Swedish squad has been chosen for the forthcoming Hong Kong friendly tournament.

Young bucks
No fewer than 12 of the 21 players named in Lars Lagerbäck and Tommy Söderberg's squad have yet to feature for the national side, prompting Lagerbäck to call his selection "the youngest squad we've ever selected". The party also includes two players called Andreas Johansson - one a 25-year-old from Djurgårdens IF and the other a 21-year-old from Halmstads BK.

Nordic-based players
The oldest player in the squad, which consists exclusively of Nordic-based players, is FC København's 31-year-old goalkeeper Magnus Kihlstedt, while 20-year-old newcomers Johan Andersson of Landskrona BoIS and Eldin Karisik of Helsingborg IF represent the new generation.

Experimental team
Trips to Asia have offered a chance for Sweden to experiment with new players, and it was during last year's King's Cup in Thailand that Niklas Skoog of Malmö FF made the step up to becoming a regular international. The tournament begins on 22 January and Sweden will meet Norway before facing either Honduras or a Hong Kong XI in the final.

Sweden squad
Alvbåge, Isaksson, Kihlstedt, C Andersson, Antonsson, Järdler, Lundqvist, Von Schlebrügge, Stenman, Östlund, J Andersson, Arneng, Ericsson, Andreas Johansson, Andreas Johansson, Karisik, L Nilsson, M Nilsson, Rubarth, Skoog, Stefanidis.