Place Your Bets: England v Sweden in the Euro U-21 Championships

England U-21 v Sweden U-21, European Under-21 Championship semi-final: Jun. 26, 2009

The Under-21 European Championships in Sweden have been a real joy to watch so far, and the organizers have been rewarded with a semi-final tie that's full of glamour between the hosts and probably the most impressive team at the tournament so far.

Stuart Pearce may have lost three semi-finals on penalties in international tournaments—Italia ‘90, Euro ‘96, the Under-21 finals in Holland in 2007—but the coach formerly known as “Psycho” must be quietly confident going into this match. England are 10/11 to win.

The Young Lions have been in excellent form in Sweden, seeing off Finland with 10 men, brushing aside Spain, and then earning a creditable draw against Germany with a reserve team.

The 10 changes Pearce made for the third group game could well be crucial going into the latter stages of the tournament and England didn’t lose any momentum. Instead, Jack Rodwell, 22-1 to score first, has put himself at the front of the queue for a starting birth against the hosts, and the team should be fresh if this one goes into extra time.

Injury doubts to Theo Walcott and Gabriel Agbonlahor are the only down sides for England; and if both are fit, the Young Lions will have a great opportunity to go one round further than two years ago. During the first two games, James Milner, who is 11-4 to score, was looking like a real danger-man and the Aston Villa winger could be key against a Sweden side that is packed with talent.

Some of their attacking stars may not have been that well known before this tournament, but the likes of Marcus Berg, 13-8 to score, and Ola Toivonen are now household names in Sweden. They look set for long and fruitful careers at the highest levels of European football.

Marcus Berg’s five goals in the group stages eased Sweden’s passage through, and Toivonen is an excellent foil for the Groningen hitman. He can also score, a point he proved in successive games against Italy and Serbia.

England will have to be wary that Sweden came out the traps in super fashion against Serbia and had the game won within half-an-hour of kick off. Sweden are favored 14-5 to lead at the break. While the hosts will point to their fervent home support as a possible key factor, the fact that they played a virtual quarter-final in their last game means the Young Lions may have the edge in terms of fitness.

Fortunately for those watching, this match features some of the finest up-and-coming talent in Europe. Forget the attackers mentioned above, players such as Micah Richards, Kieran Gibbs, Mark Noble, Fabrice Muamba, Mattias Bjarsmyr, Gustav Svensson, and Rasmus Elm, who is favored 7-2 to score, are the future; and this should be a fascinating encounter.

Both sides have looked impressive in all their matches so far. Even in defeat, Sweden looked good against Italy. Fitness and big game temperament could sway this semi-final.

The hosts are also without two influential mid-fielders: Pontus Wernbloom and Emir Bajrami, due to suspension, which makes England slight favorites—but only just.

101gg predicts: England 3—Sweden 2 with 28-1 odds, Marcus Berg to score on 13-8 odds

Full match odds here.