Slovakia and Sweden both recorded good results in the first round. Slovakia come off a surprise victory against Poland, and group favourites Spain were held to a goalless draw by Sweden. Now that the two favourites have dropped points it leaves this group wide open.
Euro 2020: Group E
Friday 18 June
Saint-Petersburg Stadium
To Win
Sweden 17/20
Draw 47/20
Slovakia 36/10
Sweden
The Swede’s are one of the best defensive teams in the Euro’s and they proved how solid they can be in their opener against Spain.
Sweden are placed second on the table with one point, and knowing that Spain and Poland are playing against each other and one if not both will definitely drop points.
This is a huge opportunity for Sweden to climb up the ladder, and a win here will ensure they are above Slovakia and the team that drops points in the other game.
More good news and a confidence boost for Janne Andersson and his boys, Dejan Kulusevski and Mattias Svanberg have tested negative for COVID-19 and will be part of the squad. It is also a tough decision for Andersson, will he start them, or will he continue with the team that did well against the 2010 World Champions.
Slovakia
Slovakia are at the top of the table with three points, and if they are able to secure one more win this Friday, their progression to the knockouts would be almost certain.
The Slovakians will feel three points is enough to take them to the next round as the third best team but they are also aware that anything else will guarantee them a place in the last 16.
Stefan Tarkovic will be confident ahead of this encounter after they beat Poland who were tipped as one of the dark horses for this competition. That is the kind of confidence you need when you have won only three matches from the last 14 games.
It will be interesting to see how Tarkovic plans out for this affair, will he defend and take a point, or will he attack and go for all three?
Prediction: Sweden (17/20)
For me, the toughest game for Sweden was their opener against Spain and they did very well. Most pundits believe Sweden had better chances than Spain in that match. With the quality they have at their disposal, plus their defensive superiorities, Sweden should win here.
