Larsson to line up for Sweden

Midfielder Sebastian Larsson has made a surprise appearance in the Sweden squad for the UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifiers against Liechtenstein and Northern Ireland.

Long absence
The 22-year-old former Arsenal FC player has impressed since moving to Birmingham City FC with Sweden coach Lars Lagerbäck saying: "He's one of the small number of young players that has managed to establish himself without returning home." Kennedy Bakircioglü and Max von Schleebrugge both miss out through injury while Niklas Alexandersson earns a place despite carrying a knee problem. Andreas Johansson is also called up after a long absence. Wins in both games could potentially secure Sweden's place in next summer's finals.

Sweden squad
Goalkeepers: Andreas Isaksson (Manchester City FC), Rami Shaaban (Fredrikstad FK).

Defenders: Petter Hansson (SC Heerenveen), Matias Concha (VfL Bochum 1848), Mikael Nilsson (Panathinaikos FC), Daniel Majstorovic (FC Basel 1893), Olof Mellberg (Aston Villa FC), Erik Edman (Stade Rennais FC), Andreas Granqvist (Wigan Athletic FC).

Midfielders: Niclas Alexandersson (IFK Göteborg), Daniel Andersson (Malmö FF), Fredrik Ljungberg (West Ham United FC), Tobias Linderoth (Galatasaray SK), Christian Wilhelmsson (Bolton Wanderers FC), Anders Svensson (IF Elfsborg), Sebastian Larsson (Birmingham City FC), Andreas Johansson (Aalborg BK), Kim Källström (Olympique Lyonnais).

Forwards: Marcus Allbäck (FC København), Markus Rosenberg (Werder Bremen), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (FC Internazionale Milano), Johan Elmander (Toulouse FC), Rade Prica (Aalborg BK).