Sweden vs England: Preview and Prediction

Saturday 7th July 2018

World Cup 2018 - Quarter Final
Saturday 7th July 2018
Kick off at 3pm BST
Venue: Cosmos Arena

Match Preview:

Sweden and England have had rich histories at the World Cup and a coming together for them in the quarter finals should be a very intriguing moment in this World Cup. On paper it could be argued that England has the better squad but they have repeatedly failed to beat the Swedes on numerous occasions in the past.

To get here Sweden had to overcome Switzerland in a drab affair that ended 1-0. But there has even been talk about this Swedish side going the whole way to the final. They are very difficult to break down, physical and will counter attack with pace. They play the waiting game and have proven to be a difficult opponent so far in Russia.

As for England they continue to make heavy weather of opponents they should be beating within 90 minutes. Against Colombia England were clearly the superior team and yet needed a penalty to get their noses in front. They tired towards the end of the match and Colombia scored a last minute equaliser. So England come into this game a little more tired from their draining experience of having to play extra time and then the pressure of penalties. Manager Gareth Southgate will be hoping that the victory in the penalty shoot out will give more belief to his team who are trying to reach their first World Cup semi-final in 28 years.

England's problem remains that if they don't score from a set piece then they are unlikely to create anything from open play. Their big win over Panama covered up this shortfall, but it remains an issue.

Sweden vs England Team News:

Sweden: No new major injuries to report, however Mikael Lustig will miss this game through suspension

England: Jamie Vardy being doubtful is England's only injury concern.

Sweden vs England Head to Head:

The last time the teams met in 2012 Sweden won 4-2.

The nations have met two times in the World Cup finals with both matches ending in a draw.

From the last 10 matches England have 2 wins, Sweden 3 and there has been 5 draws.

Sweden vs England Prediction:

In some ways this is a clash of styles and should be a very close game. England could be facing their toughest team in the competition so far, although Colombia and Sweden are fairly similar in quality. What we have seen though is England get out of the traps flying and should dominate possession in the first half. But they need to score a few goals to be clear here. Sweden remain a huge problem for England. And we expect another long night for England’s long suffering fans. England are favourite to qualify here, and rightly so given the extra quality they have, however Sweden will be the fresher of the two teams.

Sweden vs England Betting Tips:

Goal line over 2.0 at 2.020

Anytime goalscorer Harry Kane at 2.05

Half time correct score 1-0 to England at 3.60