Our football match prediction:
Sweden
Match Time & Date:
07/07/2018
15:00 GMT
Prediction: 0-1
England
Thanks to Emil Forsberg’s goal Sweden defeated Switzerland in the last 16 of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. England, on the other hand, eliminated Colombia, with the team finally managing to break the penalty shootout curse. Harry Kane scored his sixth goal of the tournament in the victory over los Cafeteros and all eyes will be on the Tottenham striker when England face Sweden at Samara Arena. The Swedes are likely to adopt a defence-minded approach in Saturday’s football match, but seeing that the Three Lions have been producing fine performances at the showpiece tournament in Russia, we are tempted to put our money on Gareth Southgate’s troops. A close encounter is on the cards, but we believe that England are going to break the deadlock. In their last meeting at the World Cup finals the two teams played out a 2-2 draw.
Highlighted Player (Martin Olsson):
Martin Olsson is an experienced Swedish defender who has spent his entire professional career up to date in England. The left-sided defender came through the Hogaborgs BK academy, but he went on to join Blackburn Rovers before turning 18. Olsson quickly managed to nail down a regular starting berth at Ewood Park, and he made a total of 117 league appearances ahead of signing for Norwich City in the summer of 2013. The Swedish left-back couldn’t help the Canaries avoid relegation to the Championship, but he featured in 45 league games as they secured a straight return to the elite division. Olsson was at times linked with top European clubs, but a big club move never materialised for him, although there is still time for him to make the next step. Also capable of playing on the left wing, Olsson scored 5 goals in just over 30 outings for the Sweden national team, making three appearances at the Euro 2012 finals in Ukraine and Poland.
Highlighted Team (England):
One of two oldest national football teams besides Scotland, England have been playing international matches since 1872, but the World Cup title won on home soil in 1966 remain their only major trophy up to date. The Three Lions narrowly missed out on the 1990 World Cup final, losing to Germany on penalties, while they were stopped in quarter-finals on no fewer than five occasions. England twice reached the European Championship semi-finals, in 1968 and 1996, but they have been pretty disappointing at the start of the 21st century, despite boasting arguably the strongest league competition in the world. Sir Bobby Charlton, Jimmy Greaves and Bobby Moore were among players who secured the first major international title, whereas Gary Lineker, David Beckham, Michael Owen, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Wayne Rooney all played an important role during the modern age. Peter Shilton is the record holder with 125 caps for the national team, while Wayne Rooney surpassed Sir Bobby Charlton as the leading goalscorer in the England national team.
