Sweden Team Preview – Overview
Sweden were quarter finalists in this tournament in 2004 which surprisingly remains their best run in the event but they go into this year’s competition underrated and if they can come out of the group with a global star in Zlatan Ibrahimovic in their ranks who knows how far they can go.
They showed they can hold their nerve in matches when coming through the qualifying playoff to make it here. They beat near neighbours and rivals Denmark in a feisty tie to make it into this tournament and will be looking to showcase their talents now they are here. This could be Ibrahimovic’s final tournament so expect him to make a big impact somewhere along the line.
Statistics
Best Performance – Quarter-finals (2004)
Previous Appearances – 5 (1992, 2000, 2004, 2008 & 2012)
Qualified – Group G Third – Playoff Winner
Qualifying Record
P-8 W-3 D-3 L-2 GF-11 GA-9 PTS-12
Beat Denmark in Playoffs 4-3 on Aggregate.
Fixtures
Republic of Ireland vs Sweden – Monday 13th June, kickoff 17:00 at Stade de France, Paris
Italy vs Sweden – Friday 17th June, kickoff 14:00 at Stadium Municipal, Toulouse, Toulouse
Sweden vs Belgium – Wednesday 22nd June, kickoff 20:00 at Allianz Riviera, Nice
Squad
Manager: Erik Hamrén
Goalkeepers: Andreas Isaksson (Kasimpasa), Robin Olsen (Copenhagen), Patrik Carlgren (AIK).
Defenders: Ludwig Augustinsson (Copenhagen), Erik Johansson (Copenhagen), Pontus Jansson (Torino), Victor Lindelof (Benfica) Andreas Granqvist (Krasnodar), Mikael Lustig (Celtic), Martin Olsson (Norwich).
Midfielders: Jimmy Durmaz (Olympiakos), Albin Ekdal (Hamburg), Oscar Hiljemark (Palermo), Sebastian Larsson (Sunderland), Pontus Wernbloom (CSKA Moscow), Erkan Zengin (Trabzonspor), Oscar Lewicki (Malmo), Emil Forsberg (Leipzig), Kim Kallstrom (Grasshoppers).
Forwards: Marcus Berg (Panathinaikos), John Guidetti (Celta Vigo), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Paris), Emir Kujovic (Norrkoping).
Betting
I took a look at the stage of elimination market for Sweden and toyed long and hard about whether 2/1 on them going out in the last 16 is value or not. If they do make it through you would think it would be in third place but with this group having two strong sides in it I’m not convinced they do come out.
Not enough to place a bet on it. If they did finish third they would most likely play France or Spain in the last 16 and Sweden’s opponents would be a lot shorter than 2/1 to send them packing. I can’t quite bring myself to back it though.
I can’t bet on the top goalscorer either because Zlatan is long odds on and that is justified so as far as a tournament bet on Sweden is concerned I can’t really offer one therefore I’ll keep my money in my pocket.
Tips
No Bet
