With the chaos of Abbotstown currently subsided, chaos inside the Gamla Ullevi Stadium is needed if the Republic of Ireland are to topple these giants of world football.
“Will I do a Ronaldo?”
Katie McCabe hides the Coca-Cola bottle placed under her microphone.
“I’m more of a Lucozade girl.”
Not a hint of nerves from the Arsenal winger who refused to drink the Kool-Aid when it came to addressing the "how to stop Sweden" marketing campaign, with the new jerseys featuring a guide on the team's tactical style and player's strengths.
“It is a confident move I would say, but yeah that’s all I got to say on that. I can say,” she adds, “nobody has purchased the [Sweden] jersey.”
Vera Pauw chimes in: "Thanks very much to Sweden but we've got Andy."
Andy Holt being the Republic of Ireland's performance analyst as jokes about Sweden publishing state secrets via Adidas looks set to chase them all over England come this summer's Euros. They better not lose.
"Let's not forget that Sweden is a powerhouse of women's football," Pauw cautioned. "Back in 1982, they were at the first European Championships. They have always been at the top. If you perform, you are entitled to do those nice things. It would be strange if we would do it. Sweden, USA, Germany and Netherlands are entitled to do, so well done to Sweden."
Coach and captain are positively ebullient with Pauw maintaining a humorous disposition throughout the prematch duties while taking the opportunity to cast Ireland as mistreated second-class citizens on the global stage.
“I am proud of it and it is fantastic,” she says of her 20 games as Republic of Ireland manager, “but how many games did Sweden play in the last 2½ years, 55 or so?
“That says it all. Uefa, I hope you are listening.”
This is how it goes on the eve of facing the “best team in the world”. Presented with a very large megaphone and a band of travelling media to relay your feelings to the wider public, both women clearly read the memo.
“We have great support from the FAI, there is no chaos behind the scenes, or anything like that where maybe there was a few years ago,” said McCabe. “It is just up to us to fully focus on what we have to do on the pitch. It starts tomorrow night and goes right through to September when the campaign ends.”
It ends for Sweden tonight with a draw guaranteeing qualification to next year's World Cup. A glittering array of talent, from Barcelona's Fridolina Rolfo to Arsenal's Stina Blackstenius, are set to put on a show while Ireland have a playoff to strive for by taking care of Finland and Slovakia in September as they move towards demanding a FAI marketing drive that can sell out the Aviva Stadium.
"That's next on our list," said McCabe, her eyes lighting up at the prospect of true equality. "That would be unbelievable. We see the Camp Nou and Barcelona at the forefront of it, they've sold out the Wolfsburg semi-final now too. We're playing more games at the Emirates so maybe a national game in the Aviva would be nice."
Hope you are listening.
