Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Ibrahimovic will be crucial for Sweden if he plays against Austria on Tuesday.Reuters

Zlatan Ibrahimovic's injury seems to be a major worry as far as his participation in Tuesday's huge game against Austria is concerned. A back injury forced the talismanic striker out of the game against Russia, which they lost 1-0, a few days ago.

With the loss against Russia, Sweden are in a spot of bother as the Russians have closed the gap for third place to a single point only. Russia have accumulated 12 points, while Sweden, who have 11 points, need to defeat table-toppers Austria at the Friends Arena in Solna on Tuesday.

Sweden cannot afford to lose the game at any cost with Russia facing Liechtenstein, who are one of the weakest teams in the group. The Russians can claim the second spot if Sweden lose and Russia win.

Sweden have themselves to blame for their present situation as they could have been in a better position for Euro 2016 berth if they had defeated Russia in their previous match in Moscow.

On the other hand, Austria, who need a draw or win against Sweden to qualify for Euro 2016, sit comfortably at the top of the standings table with 19 points.

With Sweden in a desperate mood to accumulate three points, one can expect the home team players to give it their all, but it is not going to be an easy task as Austria, who are high on confidence after their impressive run in the qualifiers, have not lost a single game in the competition so far.

Can Sweden break their unbeaten streak?

Reports suggest Sweden's striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic might play against Austria. The news is going to please the home fans, who want their world-class striker to show his skills and help their team defeat Austria.

But the team cannot depend on Ibrahimovic to perform week in and out, hence other players need to step up their game as well.

However, they always resemble a strong team with Ibrahimovic.

When Austria met Sweden last year, the match provided some thrilling moments with the game finishing even at 1-1. Though Austria might be happy with a similar scoreline, Sweden won't.

Where to Watch Live

The Sweden vs Austria Euro 2016 Qualifier match is scheduled for a 7.45pm local time (12.15am IST, 2.45pm ET) start with live TV coverage in India on Sony Six and live streaming online on Livsports.

Viewers in the UK can enjoy live coverage of Sweden vs Austria Euro 2016 Qualifier match live on Sky Sports and can watch it online on Sky Go.

US viewers can catch Sweden vs Austria Euro 2016 Qualifier match live on Fox Sports and live streaming on Fox Soccer2 Go.