Alexander Isak, who put Sweden 2-0 ahead against Tunisia, has been training away from the rest of the squad. The striker, whose maiden season at Liverpool was plagued by injuries and fitness issues, is working on an individual regime tailored to his recovery.
"One player is training individually, and that's Alexander Isak. He is following an individual programme as part of extra recovery after the match," said the Blagult press officer, Petra Thoren.
Isak played 89 minutes against the North African side, 10 minutes more than he has managed in any game for club or country since returning from a broken leg that kept him out from December to April. In fact, the 26-year-old did not complete 90 minutes for The Reds in the 2025/26 season.
There is no suggestion that Isak will not be able to play equally as much against the Dutch, who drew their opener 2-2 against Japan, though Isak will be spending a limited amount of time on the training pitch in Dallas: "He will be out on the field some of the time and the rest in the gym," Thoren confirmed.
Ayari wraps up for the Texan sun
An early afternoon clash in Houston could turn Sweden vs Netherlands into a battle between who can better endure the heat. One player taking an unorthodox approach to acclimatising is the Swedes' two-goal hero from Monday, Yasin Ayari.
Much was made of Ayari's Tunisian heritage after he scored a brace against his father's country of birth, but now he is using his experience of North Africa to prepare for the Texan sun, training in a long-sleeved tracksuit top and trousers.
"It's to get used to the heat," he told Sportbladet. "People usually do that in the Sahara to protect themselves from the sun. It's just to be ready for the matches so that it won't be such a big shock."
"In Morocco I've done it a few times when I've been there," he said, before admitting: "But not in the Sahara."
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