Portugal V Sweden: Team News, Predicted Lineups, Live Stream and TV Info
The European Under-21 Championship group stage closes with Group B's final games. Sweden and Portugal can both qualify for the semi-final stage with a victory, but it's incredibly unlikely both can advance.
The Details
Group B
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Venue: City Stadium, Uherske Hradiste
Date: Wednesday, June 24, 2015
Time: 7:45 p.m. BST
TV and live stream: BT Sport 1 & HD (UK) / UEFA.tv live stream
Sweden Preview
Sweden have to win to progress to the semi-finals, but don't expect their approach to change. Hakan Ericson has been pretty consistent in how he picks his side, and the counter-attacking 4-4-2 will be rolled out once again.
Isaac Kiese Thelin and John Guidetti have proven a real handful up front together, hauling in longer passes and combining with quick interchanges to work shooting angles. Thelin, in particular, is a real threat due to his ability to spot space and surge into it; he's quicker than he should be, given his size.
Joseph Baffo began the tournament at full-back but has stepped into the central defensive void very well in place of Alexander Milosevic, while full-backs Victor Lindelof and Ludwig Augustinsson close angles and block crosses well.
We may finally see a slither of attacking dynamo Branimir Hrgota—an unused substitute thus far—although Abdul Khalili played far better in the second game than the first, and both Simon Tibbling and Sam Larsson appear to be ahead of him in the pecking order.
Predicted XI: Carlgren, Lindelof, Baffo, Helander, Augustinsson; Khalili, Lewicki, Hiljemark, Larsson; Thelin, Guidetti
Portugal Preview
Portugal are yet to concede a goal in this tournament and have played some delightful stuff in the middle third, but question marks have been raised over possible final-third inefficiencies.
They won every game in qualifying, so goals haven't traditionally been a problem, but the players frequently found closest to goal in the tournament so far are Joao Mario and Bernardo Silva, not the actual forwards/runners occupying the highest positions.
None of Ivan Cavaleiro, Rafa Silva, Ricardo Pereira or Carlos Mane have entirely convinced so far, although Goncalo Paciencia, who's been troubled by injuries leading up to the tournament, is a proper No. 9 and looked reasonably bright as a substitute against Italy.
Predicted XI: Sa; Esgaio, P. Oliveira, Ilori, Guerreiro; William, Mario, S. Oliveira, Bernardo; Paciencia, Mane
Where the Game Will Be Won
Defensively this game will be far easier for Portugal than the one against Italy—especially for Raphael Guerreiro, who got destroyed by Domenico Berardi on Sunday night—but familiar issues in the final third could haunt Rui Jorge's men.
Sweden just do not allow space between the lines, carving out a big test for the prodigious Bernardo, who has been silky smooth slipping into space so far. Room to play in behind is limited too, perhaps blunting Silva, Mane and Co.
The Swedes would be wise to abandon trying to play through Portugal, as they'll be outnumbered two vs. four in the centre, and one of those four is William Carvalho. That leaves pumped balls to Thelin, who will seriously test Tiago Ilori and Paulo Oliveira.
Prediction
Portugal are yet to concede a goal thus far, and we're not tipping Sweden to be the side to break the glass.
Sweden 0-1 Portugal
