Wednesday features a number of interesting friendly matchups including England vs. Brazil, Spain vs. Uruguay, and France vs. Germany. However, the most unique confrontation of the day is the game between Sweden and Argentina. At the center of this matchup will be the highly anticipated battle between Lionel Messi and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. However, reports indicate that this clash of titans may not even occur.
According to ESPN, Ibrahimovic may not play for an extended period during the match. Sweden coach Erik Hamren asserted that he would be careful with players that that have tight schedules.
"I'll be more careful with those who have Champions League matches next week," Hamren said. "It's an extra special situation for (Ibrahimovic) since he has a match Friday with his club team."
Ibrahimovic's club Paris Saint-Germain will face off against Bastia on Friday and will play again next Tuesday in the Champions League against Valencia.
There is no word on whether Messi will be rested but he has a less busy schedule. Barcelona plays on Sunday and does not have a Champions league bout until the 20th against AC Milan.
Last time Ibrahimovic played for Sweden he broke out for four goals against England, including a tremendous overhead kick outside of the penalty area.
Messi and Ibrahimovic were teammates for Barcelona in 2009-10. They lead their respective leagues in goals scored; Messi has 34 Spanish league goals while Ibrahimovic has 20.
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