Sweden or England – which team is going to book a spot in the World Cup 2018 semifinal? We’ll find that out this Saturday afternoon at the Samara Arena. And if you would like to bet on this match, it’s best if you took your time and read this match preview as it’s guaranteed to help you out with our betting tips!
Sweden
Sweden have been real giant-slayers on this tournament. After finishing on the top of the Group F, above Germany amongst others, this team went on to beat Switzerland in the Round of 16, in a match where they were big underdogs once again. On top of everything, we mustn’t remember what happened in the World Cup qualification playoffs. Even though they were considered massive underdogs, Sweden managed to go past Italy.
They’re once again considered huge underdogs. The quality is on the side of England, but Sweden will try to outsmart them by being well-organized in defense. The fact is that they know how to defend. And they do have a number of quality defenders in the team, starting with their captain Andreas Granqvist, who’s been playing fantastic on this tournament.
Here’s another fact that shows how great Sweden are defensively – this team has kept a clean sheet in 6 out of previous 7 matches they played, counting both the World Cup games and friendlies. In this game, though, they’ll have a very difficult job to do that, not just because England are strong in the attack, but also because they’ll have to do without one of their key defenders, Mikael Lustig, who’s sidelined due to the yellow cards he’s picked.
England
The Three Lions are very close to the semifinal, but this doesn’t mean they should relax. They need to take this game seriously, as Sweden have shown so many times they can be very dangerous. England obviously have the quality to see the Swedes off, but despite that, they will have to work really hard in order to find the net of a team with such a solid defense.
What gives England fans a lot of hope that they’ll be able to break Sweden’s defense in the regular 90 minutes is the form of their top marksman, Harry Kane. With 6 goals to his name, Kane is the leading scorer at this World Cup and judging by his form, he’s probably going to win the Golden Boot.
The problem is that he might have picked a small injury in the last match. He’s likely to play against Sweden, but the question is will he be able to give his utmost. Apart from Kane, a few more England players have problems with injuries – Vardy, Alli, Walker, and Young.
The good news is that Gareth Southgate’s team has a lot of talent on the bench, so even if some of these players struggle with their fitness, he’ll be able to find suitable replacements.
Possible Lineups
Sweden:
Olsen – Lindelof, Granqvist, Augustinsson, Augustinsson – Svensson, Ekdal, Durmaz, Forsberg – Toivonen, Berg
England:
Pickford – Stones, Maguire, Walker, Trippier, Young – Dier, Henderson, Alli, Sterling – Kane
Sweden vs. England Match Prediction
Knowing how solid the Swedes are at the back, it wouldn’t be a surprise if this game went to the extra time. But, then again, England have Harry Kane and many other lethal forwards in the team. Furthermore, England will take this game seriously as the prize is just too big to mess around. They want to get to the semifinal and I think their dreams will come true.
Sweden vs. England Betting Tips
- England to Advance @1.44 (bet365)