Match Preview: Sweden V England

On 17th July, Sweden will face England in the Quarter-Finals in Zurich, with the winner facing either Norway or Italy in the Semi-Finals. The match kicks off at 8pm BST. The reigning champions hope to make it all the way to retain their crown but this Sweden team won’t make it easy. 

📸via SkySports

Sweden’s current run of form is impeccable, with 3 wins from 3 in the group stage (including one against Germany) they look very dangerous. Having only conceded 1 goal, their defence is very strong and it will be tough for England to break down. With Bjorn and Eriksson as the centre back pairing, Russo will have to work hard and be creative if she wants to see the ball hit the back of the net. As well as Russo, the England defence will have to be on-point as Sweden will keep attacking at pace. During their 4-1 win over Germany, Sweden were rapid and skillful in the box, even drawing out a penalty. Leah Williamson has already voiced her concerns over Sweden’s play in a press conference, saying “they're relentless in the way they go about their game”. 

Having said this, England have finished their group stage games on a high, with two dominant wins. Although they lost their first game, the Lionesses bounced back with a 4-0 win over the Netherlands and a 6-1 win over Wales. It is safe to say that there is a lot of goal scoring threat in the England team that Sweden will have to be wary of, like Stanway and Walsh who have recently shown us that they are a threat outside the box. 

There have been 6 previous meetings between the two teams, with 3 of them resulting in a draw. England has one win and Sweden has two. The most recent game resulted in a 0-0 stalemate in Sweden with very even stats; the possession was 60% to England with both teams having 5 shots each. The second most recent game was a 1-1 draw at Wembley Stadium, and without the Wembley atmosphere in Zurich, a win could be challenging for the Lionesses. With Sweden’s two wins coming in away games, the challenge of playing in a different country won’t phase them against England.

Both teams are full of talented players so tantalising duels will be all over the pitch. Fridolina Rolfo has been in good form recently, and with her playing on the left, there will be some good battles between her and her former Barcelona teammate, Lucy Bronze. Both players are good on the ball and have pace, but who will be caught out first? Lauren James is an exciting talent and a dangerous sight but she will have to get past her Chelsea teammate, Nathalie Bjorn, in the Sweden’s defence if she wants her name on the score sheet. These are only two of the duels, but there will be more everywhere you look on the pitch. 

You can watch this exciting match at 8pm on BBC One on the 17th July.