Republic of Ireland v Sweden

Zlatan Ibrahimovic will be looking to set another record in Paris when Sweden take on the Republic of Ireland at in their Euro 2016 opener at Stade de France on Monday.

Posted Monday, June 13, 2016 by Goal.com

The Blagult skipper broke numerous records during his four-year spell at Paris Saint-Germain, which came to an end this season, and he has the chance to rewrite the history books again in the French capital.

Ibrahimovic will become the first player in European Championship history to score in four different finals if he finds the back of the net against the Boys in Green.

The 34-year-old striker spearheaded his country's qualifying campaign, scoring 11 goals as they qualified via the play-offs after beating Denmark over a thrilling two-legged tie.

However, his record against the Irish is less impressive having not scored in their last three meetings, while the Swedes haven't fared much better overall, failing to score in three of the last four encounters between the two nations.

Erik Hamren's side have lost just once in 2016, winning two of their six warm-up matches, which included a confidence-boosting 3-0 success over Wales in their final outing before the tournament in France.

Ireland will be determined to snap a four-match losing streak at the Euros – the worst of the 24 teams taking part. They put in some encouraging displays in the build-up to the competition, beating Switzerland and drawing with Slovakia and the Netherlands, but suffered a surprise 2-1 loss to Belarus in their final warm-up game.

Martin O'Neill, whose squad is the oldest in the tournament with an average age of 29, will also be hoping for goals from his side as the Irish have failed to score in three of their last four games at the finals.

In team news, Robbie Keane and James McCarthy will be assessed closer to kick-off as they pair are given as much time as possible to recover from calf and hamstring injuries respectively.

Jonathan Walters could also be back in the mix after returning to training on Monday following an Achilles problem.

Hamren, meanwhile, has just one fitness doubt with Albin Ekdal unlikely to feature from the start, having only recently recovered from a back injury.