Sweden vs. Portugal: Changes Both Teams Should Make for Playoff Second Leg

Portugal head to Stockholm with the slimmest of margins to protect as Cristiano Ronaldo and Co. set their sights on Brazil.

They should have plenty to consider. Zlatan Ibrahimovic and his Swedish countrymen will be looking to force the issue and overturn the 1-0 deficit from the first leg.

Erik Hamren and Paulo Bento will have to double-check their game plans ahead of the decider in order to ensure that their tactics are as flawless as they can be.

But what changes should both teams make for the second leg of their pivotal playoff showdown?

Ola Toivonen in for Johan Elmander

Playing Norwich City target-man Elmander in Lisbon made sense with Sweden needing to give themselves another option besides Ibrahimovic for holding up the play high up the field.

Toivonen was a central figure in PSV Eindhoven's incredibly high-scoring season in 2012-13 and offers a more dynamic attacking threat than his compatriot.

A creator as well as a scorer, he will also be able to work the passing angles in the final third to a greater degree too, helping to ensure that Ibrahimovic isn't left to provide the offensive impetus on his own.

Use Ronaldo As a Centre-Forward

While Portugal may be able to boast the world's most powerful individual footballer on the flanks, the Seleccao lack a striker of sufficient quality to act as a foil to Ronaldo.

Helder Postiga and Hugo Almeida are frustrating rather than effective, with the former spurning at least one golden chance to make it 2-0 in the first leg.

Yet with Bento's squad filled with other exciting wingers, the Real Madrid superstar could be pushed further up the pitch to play as the team's nominal striker.

Replacing Ronaldo on the likes would be a combination of Nani, Bruma, Silvestre Varela or Eder, with Portugal looking to out-fox their hosts through superior movement and dribbling at pace.

The former Manchester United winger would also be a more reliable finisher on the counter, and with Sweden set to attack in order to claim those all-important qualification-sealing goals, there should be plenty of opportunities for the Portuguese to strike on the break.

Replace Martin Olsson with Jonas Olsson

Martin Olsson was another Norwich player who failed to impress in the first leg.

In fact, the defender was arguably his country's weakest player, while his namesake Jonas Olsson sat on the bench, unable to get stuck into the contest.

The West Bromwich Albion defender is a more rugged defender perhaps. But as one of the key players in Steve Clarke's impressive Premier League outfit, he's in form and gifted with the physical attributes to challenge Ronaldo in the air and clear dangerous balls out of the box.

As covered above, Sweden will need to pour forward and score at least two goals, which will lead to their back line being exposed to counterattacks and Portugal's tricky wingers.

Olsson—Jonas, not Martin—would be a formidable individual to leave behind to hold the fort as Ibrahimovic and his team set off to pillage the final third.