Sweden
Poland
Poland
Group E leaders Sweden aim to secure surprise top spot ahead of Spain in final group game
Sweden 1-1 Poland
Group E is one of the most complex going into the final round of fixtures, with three of the four teams understanding that they could either finish top of the group, bottom of the group or somewhere in between.
Sweden are the odd ones out, knowing that they can’t finish lower than third. They got off to a strong start following an unlikely draw with Spain, which they followed up with a narrow victory over Slovakia to take the top spot.
A draw here would secure a top two finish, but defeat would see Poland overtake them and potentially Spain or Slovakia too, depending on the result of that game.
In contrast, Poland have only one option here and that’s to go out and win the game. Remarkably, a win would mean the lowest they can finish is second, despite currently sitting bottom on a single point.
It really is all to play for.
World Ranking: 18
Best Historical Finish at the Euros: Semi Finals, 1992
Predicted Finish This Year: Round of 16
Reasons to be cheerful:
Know that, unless they receive a thrashing, they are through
Haven’t conceded a goal so far at the tournament
Reasons to be fearful:
Defensive mindset could get them in trouble if they concede
Will face a tougher Round of 16 game if they don’t finish top
Sweden have enjoyed a great record over Poland in recent times, winning all of the last five meetings and going unbeaten all the way back to 1991.
They’ve never met before at the Euros, but Sweden will take confidence from the way in which they have played against them in the past.
A point here would be enough to claim a top two spot, and considering that they’ve not conceded so far this tournament, they have the tools to do so.
They will be wary of Poland, of course, particularly with Lewandowski up front. The star striker scored his first goal against Spain, and will have the taste for more here.
Star Man – Alexander Isak
The 21-year-old is a constant thorn in the opponent’s side, and will look to stretch the Poland defence on the counter here.
World Ranking: 21
Best Historical Finish at the Euros: Quarter Finals, 2016
Predicted Finish This Year: Group Stage
Reasons to be cheerful:
Lewandowski scoring against Spain will give him a boost
Know they have to win to qualify
Reasons to be fearful:
Poor record against Sweden
Just one goal scored so far
If Poland were to crash out of the Euros at the first hurdle, finishing bottom of the group, it would go down as a major disappointment for a proud footballing nation who reached the Quarter Finals of the last tournament.
The game against Slovakia will hurt most, losing 2-1 and going down to 10 men just as it looked as though they were about to turn it around from a 1-0 deficit.
On the bright side, Poland know that they have to come out and win the game in order to qualify. With Robert Lewandowski in their ranks, anything is possible, and there were glimmers of hope coming out of the game against Spain to suggest that others alongside him are starting to pick up their performance levels.
Star Man – Robert Lewandowski
His goal against Spain means that he has 67 international goals in 121 appearances for his country.
Poland should be the more aggressive of the teams
Can they breach the Swedish defence?
Sweden will stay solid and look to hit Poland on the counter
Tactically, it will be simple for Poland to set up here, as they must go all out for the win.
If they do so, and Spain vs. Slovakia ends in a draw, then they’ll remarkably top the group.
For Sweden, they’ll stick to what they know best, and that’s defending well and as a solid unit. They’ll be confident of getting at least a point from this game, and qualifying themselves.
Sweden 1-1 Poland
