Sweden vs. England: Team News, Predicted Lineups, Live Stream and TV Info
After just one round, England are already in a must-win scenario as they prepare to face Sweden in their second Group B match of the UEFA European Under-21 Championship.
Hakan Ericson's men pulled off the shock of the tournament so far by beating Italy with 10 men, whereas Gareth Southgate's charges lost to a well-oiled Portuguese machine.
This match can make or break both sides' chances of progressing to the semi-finals, with one manager under considerably more pressure than the other.
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The Details
Venue: Andruv Stadion, Olomouc
Date: Sunday, June 21, 2015
Time: 5 p.m. BST
TV and Live Stream: BT Sport 1 & HD (UK)/UEFA.tv live stream
Sweden Preview
Sweden's shock 2-1 victory over Italy puts them in a strong position; another win here against England would surely see them through to the semi-finals.
Hakan Ericson's men will line up in a 4-4-2 formation with John Guidetti and Isaac Kiese Thelin up front again, provided the former recovers well from a muscle complaint sustained against the Azzurri.
There needs to be a re-shuffle at the back after Alexander Milosevic's red card. Joseph Baffo slid inside from full-back to cover in-game against Italy and impressed, meaning he could start there again, with Victor Nilsson-Lindelof at right-back.
The two Oscars, Lewicki and Hiljemark, will battle a numerical disadvantage in midfield.
Predicted XI: Carlgren; Nilsson-Lindelof, Helander, Baffo, Augustinsson; Larsson, Lewicki, Hiljemark, Khalili; Thelin, Guidetti
England Preview
Gareth Southgate won't be considering too many changes, if any at all; England may have lost against Portugal in their opener, but they played well and were beaten by a superior team.
John Stones will miss this game after sustaining concussion midweek, and Saido Berahino has gone home due to a knee injury that will keep him sidelined for three weeks. Jesse Lingard and Liam Moore replaced them against the Selecao, and the former may give way to Alex Pritchard, who looked bright and creative as a substitute.
The 4-3-3 will remain as the foundation, with Tom Carroll, James Ward-Prowse and Nathaniel Chalobah very likely to start in midfield. Harry Kane will hope for a better day in front of goal.
Predicted XI: Butland; Jenkinson, Moore, Gibson, Garbutt; Chalobah, Ward-Prowse, Carroll; Pritchard, Redmond, Kane
Where the Game Will Be Won
England will look to dominate possession and move the ball into the feet of their star man Nathan Redmond. The full-backs will push up and overlap (Carl Jenkinson's runs were particularly good against Portugal) and the play will be expansive.
They were out-matched three vs. four against Portugal's diamond but face a two-man tandem this time and should be able to circulate the ball well.
But Italy found very little space between Sweden's two banks of four, and they struggled to find the time to play the correct ball into the path of Andrea Belotti's runs. Kane will drop in rather than run in behind, and that could clog the area even further, playing into Sweden's hands.
The Scandinavians are unashamedly direct, using their strike pair to work the centre-backs for 90 minutes, pushing and pulling them across the pitch. Thelin and Guidetti will hound, harass and look to latch on to longer passes, pulling defenders into areas they don't want to go.
Prediction
Despite the country's contrasting fortunes in their openers and Sweden's capacity to pull results out when they're not expected, we're tipping a Three Lions win here. They're a strong outfit who can build on a strong performance, and they'll be able to play their game and impose themselves upon Ericson's men at will.
Sweden 1-2 England
