Arsenal striker Viktor Gyokeres is arguably the biggest reason why Sweden are in the World Cup.
The Blue and Yellow looked down and out during the World Cup qualifications. They found themselves in a position where they had to win two playoff games to make it to the competition.
Gyokeres scored a hat-trick in the semi-finals against Ukraine and then a late winner in the final against Poland to book a place at the World Cup.
Graham Potter’s side are ready to go now, but Gyokeres would rather not face one of his Arsenal teammates on the other side of the pond.
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Viktor Gyokeres says he does not want to play against William Saliba at the World Cup
France are one of the favourites to win the World Cup this summer.
Les Bleus came very close last time with Kylian Mbappe scoring a hat-trick in the final, but a Lionel Messi-led Argentina got the better of them.
Didier Deschamps will want to get his World Cup title back, and his side have been grouped alongside Senegal, Iraq and Norway.
Sweden, on the other hand, have the Netherlands, Japan and Tunisia to deal with in the group stage before they can think about what’s ahead.
Viktor Gyokeres is a winner, and he will be dreaming of going far in the competition. However, he already knows the team he wants to avoid.
Speaking to TV4 Sport, when asked to name the one Arsenal teammate he absolutely wouldn’t want to face at the World Cup, he said: “I’d like to skip France. Let’s skip France.
“It’s Saliba!”
William Saliba has already shared what it’s like playing against Viktor Gyokeres
It is no surprise that Gyokeres would like to avoid William Saliba.
The Frenchman is one of the best defenders in world football, and he has contained some of the most dangerous strikers on the planet without breaking a sweat.
However, Saliba rates Gyokeres very highly, and his comments about facing him prove that.
He said in December this year: “He’s strong, he’s fast, he scores when he has an opportunity to score.
“Obviously, I know his quality because I played against him last season, and it was so tough to play against him.”
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