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Fresh from their shock 1-0 victory over Spain on Saturday England will look to build even more momentum as they take on Sweden at Wembley on Tuesday.
Despite being huge underdogs and being outplayed for large parts of the game, an inexperienced England side shorn of some of its best payers showed determination and grit to run out 1-0 winners against the World Champions thanks to a Frank Lampard tap in.
While few believe that Fabio Capello’s side are now Spain’s equals, the result marks a significant in the attitude of both fans and payers who believed they were destined for a heavy defeat, and now with renewed optimism go into the game against Sweden hoping to pick up another win against a side assured of its place in Euro 2012 as best group runners up.
Erik Hamrén’s side finished three points behind the Netherlands in Group E, but showed their strength by upsetting the group winners 3-2 in their final qualifying game last month.
Having given a wave of young players their chance to shine against Spain, most notably Manchester United defender Phil Jones, who was given a chance to show what he can do in midfield, Capello has indicated he is likely to adopt a similar policy for the game against Sweden.
Tottenham Hotspur full-back Kyle Walker, Chelsea striker Daniel Sturridge and substitute against Spain Jack Rodwell will all get the nod from the Italian, while in a host of changes Fulham striker Bobby Zamora will come in to the side to partner Sturridge in attack , and John Terry and Gary Cahill will pull on the shirt in place of centre back pairing Joleon Lescott and Phil Jagielka who performed so admirably against Spain.
Goalkeeper Scott Carson may also get the chance to win his first cap or England in over three years, and the Bursaspor shotstopper may have his hands full with a player Capello is very familiar with. The former Juventus manager signed AC Milan forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic for £15 million back in 2004 and is will have to be mindful of the talent he possesses if he is to guide his side to back to back victories.
Sweden have proved themselves something of a bogey side for England in recent years, especially at World Cups where the Scandinavian outfit held the Three Lions to draws on two occasions, in 2002 and 2006.
Match Winner
The win over Spain will have likely given England renewed confidence they can mix it with the best in the world, and in theory Fabio Capello’s men should be too strong for Sweden.
StanJames have the home side as 1.75 (3/4) favourites to pick up a much needed win with only a handful of games before the European Championships get underway next year, while Sweden are 5.25 (17/4) with BWIN. to pick up an unlikely victory. The draw is 3.70 (27/10), also with BWIN.
First Goalscorer
With rookie pairing Daniel Sturridge and Bobby Zamora forming England’s striking attack it is difficult to predict how the pair will react on the international stage and back them to find the back of the net first.
Sturridge and Zamoran are both 7.00 (6/1) with BoyleSports while Frank Lampard is 8.00 (7/1) with the same bookmaker. Sweden’s best hope comes unsurprisingly from Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who is 9.00 (8/1) with William Hill.
Recommended Bets
Correct score: England 2-1 Sweden, 9.00 (8/1) Ladbrokes
Correct amount of goals: Exactly 3 – 4.00 (3/1) Coral
