LUSTIG: BOYS CAN BEAT ‘EM WITHOUT ME
GUTTED Celtic ace Mikael Lustig insists he will do all he can to help Sweden end England’s World Cup dream on Saturday despite picking up a sickening suspension.
The Hoops right-back won’t play on Saturday after picking up a second booking of the tournament in their 1-0 win against Switzerland.
He said: “I accept it was a yellow card but I would point out they twice did similar fouls when stopping our counter attack and the ref never booked them.
“I just felt he was far too quick reaching for his card.
“I’ve just got to shake off the feeling of disappointment and try to do my best to help my colleagues.
“I will do everything I can to support the team.
“Historically, we’ve done well against England – they are a team that brings out the best in us. It’s going to be tough but this tournament has proved there are shocks in the air.”
Meanwhile, Lustig has apologised to Arsenal star Granit Xhaka after earlier suggesting he would try to get the midfielder sent off.
The defender suggested Xhaka’s poor disciplinary record could give Sweden the edge but Lustig said: “I got asked whether I would try to get Xhaka sent off and my response was perhaps a little out of order.
“You never go into a game trying to get a player sent off and I explained that to him after the game.”
And the Gunners ace accepted his apology.
He said: “Mikael apologised to me after the game.
“I didn’t like what he said but it wasn’t a problem.”