Wijk has been involved before, but never to play. Ahead of a World Championship qualifying match against Finland in 2022, she trained with the A-team, but then joined the U23 squad. She was also involved in the January camp in Algarve 2023, but the team did not play any matches there.
Now she's in for real for the first time.
She's a good full-back who can sometimes come not only wide but also a bit further into the pitch. And she has good passing skills and is a very attacking full-back, says Peter Gerhardsson.
Enormous Favourite
Sweden faces Luxembourg, ranked 116th in the world, in the first step of the playoffs for the European Championship. The double match begins with an away match next Friday and concludes with the return match at Gamla Ullevi in Gothenburg four days later.
The favourite position is enormous for fifth-ranked Sweden in the world.
But we never feel that we've won a match before we've played it. So you have to do it in a good way. Then we want to win the match, but we also want to perform well, says Gerhardsson.
If they win, they will face either Bosnia-Herzegovina or Serbia in the decisive playoff for a spot in the European Championship in Switzerland next year.
Sickness Stops Rubensson
Hanna Wijk is the only debutant in the squad. But several players are back compared to the European Championship qualifying finale last summer, including forwards Stina Blackstenius and Rebecka Blomqvist, who both had injury concerns.
However, Hanna Glas, who announced on Tuesday that she is ending her national team career, and midfielder Elin Rubensson, who missed Houston's last match in NWSL due to illness, are missing.
She wasn't there over the weekend. It's something illness-related, but what it is, Houston will have to communicate.
Peter Gerhardsson has chosen to select 25 players instead of 23. This is mainly because several players, such as centre-backs Magdalena Eriksson and Josefine Rybrink, have been struggling with injuries. A bad knee has kept Eriksson out of play for Bayern München since the end of August.
We'll see if she gets playing time away against Juventus in the Champions League tomorrow (Wednesday). And then we'll see if it's enough at least for the home match against Luxembourg, or if she's good enough to play away already.
Corrected: An earlier version had Sweden in the wrong place in the world rankings.
Goalkeepers: Jennifer Falk, Häcken, Zecira Musovic, Chelsea, Tove Enblom, Vålerengen.
Defenders: Jonna Andersson, Hammarby, Nathalie Björn, Chelsea, Magdalena Eriksson, Bayern München, Emma Kullberg, Juventus, Hanna Lundkvist, San Diego, Amanda Nildén, Tottenham, Josefine Rybrink, Häcken, Linda Sembrant, Bayern München, Hanna Wijk, Häcken.
Midfielders/forwards: Filippa Angeldahl, Real Madrid, Anna Anvegård, Häcken, Kosovare Asllani, London City, Hanna Bennison, Juventus, Stina Blackstenius, Arsenal, Rebecka Blomqvist, Wolfsburg, Evelyn Ijeh, Milan, Sofia Jakobsson, London City, Rosa Kafaji, Arsenal, Fridolina Rolfö, Barcelona, Johanna Rytting Kaneryd, Chelsea, Matilda Vinberg, Tottenham, Julia Zigiotti Olme, Bayern München.
Qualified for the European Championship 2025: Switzerland (host nation), France, England, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Denmark, Germany, Iceland.
The remaining seven spots will be decided through a two-stage playoff. The teams will meet home and away.
Playoff, teams from Division A against teams from Division C:
Luxembourg–Sweden, Romania–Poland, Greece–Belgium, Montenegro–Finland, Georgia–Ireland, Slovenia–Austria, Belarus–Czech Republic, Albania–Norway.
Division B's "internal" playoff:
Turkey–Ukraine, Croatia–Northern Ireland, Bosnia-Herzegovina–Serbia, Azerbaijan–Portugal, Hungary–Scotland, Slovakia–Wales.
Final playoff stage:
Luxembourg/Sweden–Bosnia-Herzegovina/Serbia, Azerbaijan/Portugal–Belarus/Czech Republic, Hungary/Scotland–Montenegro/Finland, Turkey/Ukraine–Greece/Belgium, Slovakia/Wales–Georgia/Ireland, Romania/Poland–Slovenia/Austria, Croatia/Northern Ireland–Albania/Norway.
