Sweden vs England Predictions, Betting Tips and Match Previews

England face a date with destiny this Saturday in Samara as they bid to reach the Semi-Finals of the World Cup by beating Sweden. They go into the game as clear favourites with the bookies but can’t afford to underestimate a Swedish side that has far exceeded all expectations by reaching this stage.

Even getting to the World Cup seemed unlikely for Sweden when they were paired with France and the Netherlands in a tough qualifying group. They beat the Dutch to 2nd place before knocking Italy out in the play-offs and then won a World Cup group that included Germany. Therefore it is absolutely no fluke that they are here and while there are more talented sides left in Russia, few can match Sweden’s work ethic and discipline.

They edged out Switzerland in the last 16 to reach this stage, a few hours before England finally won a World Cup penalty shoot-out to beat Colombia in their tie. Gareth Southgate’s men must now really fancy their chances of potentially going all the way to the Final but their manager’s calm demeanour will ensure nobody in the squad is getting too carried away.

This will be a different test to Colombia but it could be just as tough and there may be at least another nerve-jangling 90 minutes for England fans to endure. Sweden play what is only really an orthodox 4-4-2 but they are all very good at sticking to their jobs and they’ve shown at this World Cup that they are more than just a defensive side. They’ve scored in all of their four matches and are a threat from set-pieces, which could be a concern for an English side that conceded in that fashion late on against Colombia last time out. While there is no Zlatan and no real stars in their side, Sweden will fancy they can score at some point in this game against an England team that is yet to keep a clean sheet at this tournament.

At the other end, the Swedes may be organised defensively but they aren’t the most mobile and England will believe the pace and movement of the likes of Sterling, Alli and Lingard will pose them real problems. The fact they have the tournament’s top scorer also helps and Harry Kane’s brilliant return of 6 goals from 3 appearances at this World Cup suggests backing Kane to score anytime could be worth a punt here and it’s sure to be a popular bet this weekend across England.

While Jordan Pickford and Harry Maguire both excelled against Colombia, there is still the nagging feeling that England’s defence and inability to keep a clean sheet could be what prevents them from going all the way though. Kyle Walker hasn’t totally flourished in central defence, while John Stones also had the odd nervy moment in Extra Time in the last round. Sweden are quite direct and with two powerful strikers they look to go the aerial route when needs be and it’s worth noting that 3 of the 4 goals England have conceded at this tournament have come about via crosses, if you include the penalty Kyle Walker gave away against Tunisia.

Therefore, we have reason to expect chances at each end here and backing Both Teams to Score looks to offer value.

Going for Draw HT/England FT also looks good. Having come through the tension of a penalty shootout, you sense England are now better equipped to handle the pressure and the more this game goes on, the more their superior quality should shine through against workmanlike opposition. England should dominate the ball and Sweden could well tire in this game quite quickly, with hot conditions likely. It’s also worth noting that 3 of England’s 4 games so far have been level at the break and the same is true of Sweden’s matches.

Therefore it would be no surprise if these sides are level at the interval in Samara but England will take confidence from having already scored an Injury-Time winner at this World Cup already, while Sweden conceded one in their only defeat to date against Germany.

Sweden Predicted Lineup: Olsen, Krafth, Lindelof, Granqvist, Augustinsson, Claesson, Larsson, Ekdal, Forsberg, Toivonen, Berg

England Predicted Lineup: Pickford, Walker, Stones, Maguire, Young, Lingard, Henderson, Alli, Trippier, Sterling, Kane