Alexander Isak is set to start for Sweden as they look to salvage their hopes of reaching the World Cup against Kosovo on Monday night, in a big test of the striker’s fitness.
Since his £125 million move to Liverpool on deadline day, Arne Slot has been consistent in his approach to Isak’s fitness.
“We got him not in the best circumstances in terms of match fitness, so we have to build it up,” the head coach explained last month.
Having not trained as part a team throughout the summer due to his efforts to force a move from Newcastle, his minutes have been carefully managed.
Slot has maintained the eventual target is for Isak to be fit enough to start three times in a week – as is typical of Liverpool’s schedule – with that a long-term goal.
The 26-year-old is therefore set for the biggest test of his fitness yet this season when he starts for Sweden against Kosovo on Monday night.
Sweden manager Jon Dahl Tomasson has already confirmed his No. 9 will be part of the lineup, meaning Isak will start his third game in the space of 10 days.
That comes after previous starts against Chelsea on October 4 and then Switzerland on October 10, the latter of which saw him play his first full 90 minutes in 138 days.
Tomasson’s decision is no doubt influenced by the desperate need for a result, with Sweden currently bottom of their World Cup qualifying group and needing to win their final three games to maintain any realistic hope of a playoff place.
But it also appears to be in line with Liverpool’s plan for a belated pre-season for their club-record signing.
Slot’s ‘pre-season’ plan for Isak
“The best [will be] when he comes back hopefully from the Swedish national team,” Slot explained after the 2-1 win over Southampton a fortnight ago.
“When he stayed fit, played there many minutes, plays for us in the upcoming weeks a few minutes.
“Then I think after that, then his pre-season has ended and we can expect even more from him. But until now I’m very happy with what I’ve seen from him.”
When fully fit Isak will find himself in direct competition with Hugo Ekitike for a place in Slot’s first-choice lineup.
However there is also an argument that both strikers should be deployed in the same side on a regular basis – with both comfortable in doing so, including Isak’s experience alongside Viktor Gyokeres for Sweden.
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