WHEN Sweden failed to qualify for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, Zlatan Ibrahimovic famously claimed, “A World Cup without me is nothing to watch”. Four years on, and while Sweden are set to return to the World Cup stage, Ibrahimovic will once again be absent. In the eyes of the 36-year-old striker, the forthcoming tournament will no doubt be another monumental waste of time.

Rumours of Ibrahimovic making a return from international retirement in the wake of Sweden’s play-off win over Italy came to nothing, but while football’s biggest egotist would no doubt have added something had he been participating in Russia, you suspect Swedish boss Janne Andersson is actually quite pleased he does not have to accommodate Zlatan.

Instead of trying to mould a team around a maverick striker, Andersson has been able to go back to basics and concentrate on the strengths that helped take Sweden to the World Cup semi-finals in 1994. Team work, organisation, solidity – it almost feels as if Swedish football has turned back the clock a couple of decades.

Qualifying for Russia was an achievement in itself, with Sweden coming through a group that also featured France, Holland and Bulgaria before beating Italy in a play-off. That smacks of durability, although it remains to be seen whether that is sufficient to progress from one of the toughest World Cup groups.

There is a dearth of world-class quality within the Swedish squad, with RB Leipzig’s Emil Forsberg perhaps the only individual talent that stands out. Two former Sunderland players are set to start – Seb Larsson, who remains a key figure in midfield at the age of 33, and Ola Toivonen, who flopped at the Stadium of Light before successfully rebuilding his career at Toulouse.

Sweden start their World Cup campaign against South Korea, and with Germany to come in their second game, you suspect they will have to get off to a winning start.

They might be capable of doing that as South Korea are similarly bereft of top-class talent beyond the obvious exception of Spurs forward Son Heung-min.

Son is set to start as an out-and-out striker in Russia, partly because he impressed in the role during qualifying, but also because there is no one else in the South Korean squad that comes close to matching him in terms of quality. Qualifying was a struggle, with South Korea winning just four of their ten matches and relying on a goalless draw with Uzbekistan to scramble through.

All of which means it could be Mexico progressing to the knock-out phase with Germany. Mexico have the remarkable record of having gone out at the first knock-out stage in the last six World Cups, and with a potential second-round game with Brazil looming, there is every chance that run could be extended to seven. Once again, they look capable of finishing in the top two in their group.

Javier Hernandez endured a mixed campaign with West Ham, but the ‘Little Pea’ remains a Mexican legend and will lead the line for Juan Carlos Osorio’s side. Carlos Vela, once of Arsenal, now restored to his homeland, is another key attacker, along with the talented Hirving Lozano, who has enjoyed a successful campaign in the Eredivisie with PSV Eindhoven.

Porto’s Hector Herrera, Mexico’s first-choice holding midfielder, is another player with extensive European experience, and his club mate, Diego Reyes, has helped the Mexican defence move on from the days of Rafael Marquez.

Mexico boast a balanced side, capable of playing in a number of different formations. Ending their second-round jinx could be a hugely tough task, but extending their impressive record of making it out of the groups should not be beyond them.