Ones to watch: Sweden
Published:
The Blue-Yellow have reached the quarter-final of the World Cup for the first time since 1994.
24 years ago at the tournament in USA they would go on to finish third. A repeat could be on the cards if they can get past England on Saturday.
We’ve picked out three of Sweden’s main men who could cause the Three Lions trouble…
Andeas Granqvist
Captain fantastic. The leader of the side. Andreas Granqvist said he may have to go back home for the birth of his child this week. But he won’t be missing the quarter-final.
The 33-year-old is pivotal to the spoil-sport tag they have developed since Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s retirement. He has formed a formidable partnership with Victor Lindelof at the heart of the defence.
Sweden have only conceded two goals in their last six matches, including three shut outs in the tournament already.
Granqvist is the penalty taker and has scored two spot-kicks so far in the tournament. If he gets another chance against England he’ll most likely take it.
Emil Forsberg
If Sweden have a real star then that’s Emil Forsberg. The RB Leipzig man has emerged as the talisman of the team and finally stood up in the last-16.
The 26-year-old notched the winning goal against Switzerland to consolidate his status in the side.
Forsberg topped the assist charts throughout the whole of Europe in 2016/17 as Leipzig finished second.
Sweden will be tough to break down but if they are to find a way past the England defence then Forsberg must to come to the party.
Sebastian Larsson
He may have missed the Switzerland game through suspension but Sebastian Larsson should come back in for this one.
Larsson has just left Hull City and is due to sign for AIK in his homeland after the World Cup.
But when he returns could rest on his display against England.
A Premier League stalwart for his whole career. Of the 26 top-flight goals he’s bagged, 11 them have been from free-kicks.
They only had 33% possession in the win over the Swiss so Larsson’s set-piece delivery could be a real threat here.
All Odds and Markets correct as of date of publication
