Swedes stay secretive as England bid to end hoodoo
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STOCKHOLM • Sweden women's squad are remaining tight-lipped about the status of their players ahead of their Euro 2022 semi-final showdown with England in Sheffield today, with players instructed not to discuss injuries or illnesses with the media.
The Swedes have had a number of positive Covid-19 tests in the camp, with first-choice fullbacks Hanna Glas and Jonna Andersson missing the quarter-final win over Belgium.
There was also a doubt over playmaker Kosovare Asllani, who missed training on Sunday. However, Swedish fears have been allayed after she trained yesterday.
"We have been told not to answer such questions," said winger Johanna Rytting Kaneryd. "But clearly you'd like to have the whole squad involved (in training)."
Ranked second in the world going into the tournament, the Swedes are keen to put eighth-ranked hosts England under the spotlight.
"They are favourites, they're at home and they have the pressure from outside," said midfielder Filippa Angeldahl, who plays for Manchester City.
"Obviously we have to take advantage of the fact that they have that pressure on them from the outside and have to win."
But England right-back Lucy Bronze pointed out that it is the Swedes who are Europe's top-ranked team, having won silver at the Tokyo Olympics, where they beat two-time defending World Cup champions the United States 3-0. Their penalty shoot-out defeat by Canada in the gold-medal match is their only loss since March 2020.
"I think Sweden probably haven't looked their strongest but we all know that they're... the highest-ranked team coming into the tournament," Bronze said.
"They probably didn't play at their best against Belgium (in the quarter-finals) but they just showed what winning teams do and that's find a way to win...
"Spain haven't been at their best throughout the tournament but they stepped on that pitch against England (in the quarters) and it was one of the best performances of the tournament arguably with the ball.
"We know to expect everything; we're expecting to have Sweden come out all guns blazing and have their best performance against us," added the 30-year-old.
ENGLAND
• World ranking: 8th
• Best result: Runners-up
(1984, 2009)
• Result in 2017: Semi-finalist
• Player to watch: Beth Mead
The tournament's top scorer with five goals, the 27-year-old right-sided forward will be hoping to replicate her group-stage form after being taken off in the 58th minute of the quarter-final against Spain.
SWEDEN
• World ranking: 2nd
• Best result: Winners (1984)
• Result in 2017: Quarter-finalist
• Player to watch: Magdalena Eriksson
If the Swedes are to stave off the Lionesses' free-flowing attack, their defensive linchpin will be key. She will know the opposition intimately, including club mate and England forward Fran Kirby, having played for Chelsea for the past five seasons.
Arsenal's Swedish coach Jonas Eidevall warned that England's approach would suit his countrywomen, telling the BBC: "England are the team that will try and be attacking and create, and that fits Sweden better. The games so far have not fitted Sweden so well with the way they play."
But having fallen at the semi-final hurdle at their last three major tournaments, England playmaker Fran Kirby is desperate to end that run. She said: "I don't want to experience having to take a month to get over not getting to a final... It takes a long time to recover from losing a semi-final."
REUTERS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
