England will kick-start campaign with win against Sweden
Roy Hodgson’s men can add to their point against France with victory in their second Group D game at odds of 11/10.
After what some labelled a conservative draw against France in their opening Euro 2012 game on Monday, England look ahead to their next match knowing that anything less than a win could make qualification very difficult.
However, they come up against Sweden, a nation which has carved out a reputation over the years as being England’s ‘bogey’ side.
The Three Lions go into Friday’s contest in the knowledge that they have not beaten the Swedes in a competitive game since 1968, with the last two encounters ending in draws in the group stages of both the 2002 and 2006 World Cup finals.
A stalemate can be backed with bwin at 23/10, but will not be in Roy Hodgson’s thoughts come kick-off time in Kiev, as he knows his side must show more ambition and guile going forward than they did against Les Bleus.
| World Cup Qualifiers - European Zone - Group H | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| England win | £21.00 | (1/20) | ||
| Draw | £200.00 | (9/1) | ||
| Moldova win | £420.00 | (20/1) | ||
The 64-year old stated after Monday’s game: “We have got to constantly be trying to improve our last pass and our last movement to make certain the promise or threat becomes more tangible and leads to a goal or a very clear-cut chance.”
The Three Lions go into Friday’s contest in the knowledge that they have not beaten the Swedes in a competitive game since 1968, with the last two encounters ending in draws in the group stages of both the 2002 and 2006 World Cup finals.
Check out our 322 England v Sweden markets!
Youngsters Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Danny Welbeck will be hoping to keep their places in the side after solid performances against France, with Martin Kelly being the only absentee with a virus.
Erik Hamren’s Swedish outfit were the victims of the Andriy Shevchenko show in their 2-1 defeat against Ukraine and their camp has allegedly been thrown into turmoil as enigmatic skipper Zlatan Ibrahimovic reportedly lambasted his teammates for being ‘unprofessional’.
However, you can never count the Swedes out, especially against England, and they will be looking to register their first points of Euro 2012 while dealing a blow to their opponents’ qualification hopes in the process.
Ibrahimovic is expected to be fit to start despite suffering a bruised thigh against the host nation and punters thinking the AC Milan man can bring his genius-side to proceedings on Friday can back the Blågult to emerge victorious at odds of 13/5.
Anyone registering with bwin is treated to a free bet of £25 and should your patriotic side wish to back an England win with that, you could pocket a welcome £52.50 return from their odds of .
That’s what I’ll be on and with those kind of winnings, you could purchase your very own Zlatan mask and scare the neighbours. “Look out, he’s really scary, albeit inconsistently!”
Recommended bet: England to beat Sweden @ 11/10
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