Sweden v England: lineup, statistics, preview
Sweden v England preview
The UK’s defense against the European Championship title faces another rigorous exam to undertake Inform Sweden in Zurich tomorrow night.
Sarina Wiegman’s team overcomes a sticky start to be second in Group D and meets the winner of Group C.
The Lioness regained Mojo after a 2-1 defeat to France in the opening game in Switzerland with impressive successive successive victories in Holland (4-1) and Wales (6-1), but the Swedes could pose major problems.
England midfielder Ella Tone raised his interest even further by declaring his opponent in the last eight times that he should be “scary.” A frowned comment at a Swedish camp.
Defender Magdalena Eriksson said:
“The fact that we have always had and we respect and analyze all our opponents the same way is a huge success factor for us. Every opponent has not only the best qualities but also the weaknesses, and we analyze them.”
Erickson suggested that England is prone to overconfident, but believes that his defeat to Les Bruce gave them a favor.
She added: “They took real lessons from France, and there are good things when such a match comes early in the tournament.
“It felt like they really did that before playing against the Netherlands. Then they go out and look like a new team. It’s an advantage for them that they were able to take that slap early and learn from it and be a little more humbled about it.”
“I don’t know why we have to be scared, hopefully we can show them.”
Jonah Anderson responds to Ella Tone’s comment that Sweden must be “scary” in Britain. pic.twitter.com/k7hijfekgp
– Sky Sports News (@skysportsnews) July 16, 2025
Unlike Tone, British captain Leah Williamson appears to have gotten a note, and the Arsenal defender spoke quickly to the Swedes.
She said: “Sweden’s previous results in the tournament are incredible, and there’s no mercy when it comes to tournament football.
“I think they deserve a little more recognition.
“If you have a team that works for each other like Sweden, you don’t necessarily have to pose a crazy standout threat, as everyone is doing their part.
“They are difficult to prepare in that sense. The discipline they get to get the job done on the pitch makes them a dangerous aspect.”
For England to move on to a meeting with Norway or Italy in the semi-finals, Williamson will have to quiet Swedish striker and Arsenal teammate Stina Blackstenius.
Backstenius scored the only goal for the 29-year-old to lead the Swedish offense as Gunners beat Barcelona in the Champions League final in May.
Williamson added: “Stina is an incredibly strong footballer. She’s very smart in her run. She’s a difficult player to compete in that respect.
“We were celebrating her success at Arsenal, but now it’s not that much! She’s an incredible player and she’s been through the years. Her experience speaks for itself.
“It’s not like playing each other in training with restrictions. I rarely play against Stina in this setting. I enjoy it and I like it.
“It’s hard to remove all of that. You don’t want to be too focused on it, and there’s a lot of stuff going on when you play against your teammates, but I think I’ve known Stina long enough because I know who she is and it’s time to focus on us.”