Newcastle United star Anthony Elanga has left the Swedish camp early.
This is a run-up to their final World Cup qualifier, which will be played at home against Slovenia on Tuesday.
Press officer for the Swedish national team, Petra Thoren, cited ‘personal reasons’ for the decision.
Sweden is back in Stockholm after the last defeat, Switzerland won 4-1 and Anthony Elanga played the first 78 minutes.
The Football Channel reporting that Anthony Elanga also missed an international match against Algeria in June, “personal reasons” were also given as the cause that time.
Sweden have had a dismal World Cup qualifying group and all they have to play tomorrow night is try to win against Slovenia so they don’t finish bottom of the group.
Hopefully this is a case of Anthony asking Elanga to leave the Swedish camp early so he can be in the best possible shape for the big match between Newcastle and Man City next Saturday, if he is called upon.
This is the November 2025 international fixture list for Newcastle United players:
Thursday November 13
Moldova 0 Italy 2
Sandro Tonali played the full match in this World Cup group qualifier and although it took until the 88th minute for the away side to score, they fully deserved the eventual 2-0 victory. Tonali, the key figure in midfield, dominated throughout (28 to 3 shots, 13 to 1 corners, 65 to 3 touches by players in the opposition penalty area) but struggled to convert that into goals.
England 2 Serbia 0
A dominant performance from England with a classy Saka strike giving the hosts a half-time lead. Dan Burn watched from the bench as the Three Lions failed to capitalize on their chances until Eze matched Saka with the quality of his finishing in the 90th minute.
Friday November 14
Luxembourg 0 Germany 2
Two high-quality finishes in the second half from Nick Woltemade, the first with his left boot and the second with his right boot, sent Germany to this crucial 2-0 win. They now just need to avoid defeat at home to Slovakia on Monday to automatically qualify for the 2026 World Cup finals.
Great to see Malick Thiaw also enter the field, coming on in the 79th minute as Woltemade played the full match.
Saturday November 15
Brazil 2 Senegal 0
Bruno Guimaraes excels in this friendly match at the Emirates Stadium.
An excellent performance in defense and attack, with Goal not rating any Brazilian player higher than the 8 out of 10 they awarded the NUFC star, describing his contribution as; ‘A complete performance from a complete player.’
Switzerland 4 Sweden 1
Anthony Elanga started and played the first 78 minutes, a match in which the Swedish midfield struggled to gain control and the defense proved vulnerable. The Newcastle United winger came off after 78 minutes with the score at 3-1, with Emil Krafth an unused substitute. A shocking story so far with one point from five group games so far. Sweden will finish bottom unless they beat Slovenia on Tuesday. However, the Swedes are lucky, because thanks to the Nations League results from a while ago, they managed to secure a place in the play-offs for this World Cup final.
Sunday November 16
Albania 0 England 2
Dan Burn picked up his fourth start in this fifth England appearance for the Newcastle defender. In the last World Cup qualifier, England were the better team, but not as fluid with seven changes. Dan Burn put in a decent shift and created a great chance that Bellingham should have finished. Harry Kane scored another victory for England with two goals in the last 16 minutes of normal time.
Italy 1 Norway 4
As Gattuso said he would, Sandro Tonali took no chances as a yellow card would have seen him suspended when it came to the play-offs in March 2026 for the World Cup finals.
Only three points separated the two teams ahead of this final group match, but Norway had a 17-goal lead over GD, meaning Italy would have needed to win by nine goals to qualify automatically. Italy took the lead, but four second-half goals, including two from Haaland, left the home side under-matched.
Monday November 17
Germany vs Slovakia (Nick Woltemade, Malick Thiaw) World Cup qualifier
Tuesday November 18
Sweden vs Slovenia (Anthony Elanga, Emil Krafth) World Cup qualifier
Brazil vs Tunisia (Bruno Guimaraes) Friendly match on neutral ground (Lille)
Slovakia U21s v England U21s (Lewis Miley, Lewis Hall) U21s European Championship Group Qualification
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