ENGLAND Vs SWEDEN

Morning All,
I thought I'd run one of my polls to see how you see the England game panning out.
Woy the boy has indicated Mandy will possibly start the match which is a huge boost (removed tongue firmly from cheek).
I've included the BBC preview info below for your perusal.
How do you see it going?
ACS

TEAM NEWS

Roy Hodgson is ready to recall Andy Carroll as England go for goals and a crucial Euro 2012 victory when they face Sweden in Kiev on Friday.

Liverpool's £35m striker was overlooked in favour of Danny Welbeck for England's opening 1-1 draw with France.

But indications from England's final training session suggest they will be paired against the Swedes.

Sweden are expected to bring in Jonas Olsson at centre-back and switch Andreas Granqvist to right-back.

Fit-again striker Johan Elmander also looks set for a recall at the expense of the misfiring Markus Rosenberg.

England captain Steven Gerrard and Scott Parker have overcome exhaustion and will continue in central midfield.

Glen Johnson will play despite being on antibiotics for a toe infection, while Wayne Rooney serves the last match of his two-game suspension.

Right-back Martin Kelly remains doubtful for England with a virus.

Hodgson is keen to use striker Carroll to exploit Sweden's vulnerability in the air and he is expected to leave out Arsenal teenager Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to accommodate him, and use Ashley Young on the left flank and James Milner on the right as orthodox wide men.

Sweden have conceded six of their last seven goals from headers - including both from Andriy Shevchenko in their 2-1 defeat against co-hosts Ukraine - a factor that appears to have persuaded Hodgson to go with aerial power.

Hodgson believes that Sweden's well-drilled side and unpredictable striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic may pose England problems in Kiev.

"They are organised as a result of years of work based on English coaching," said Hodgson, who began his managerial career in Sweden.

"Their major weapon is Ibrahimovic - he is one of the best strikers in European football."

MATCH PREVIEW
SHEARER ON IBRAHIMOVIC

"A big part of his game is confidence, or arrogance even. But I don't think it does him any harm. As a striker, it probably helps if you harness it in the right way."

"Arrogance helps Ibrahimovic" - Alan Shearer
Following a solid start against France, it's that pesky nation of Sweden next up for England.

The Swedes have caused trouble and annoyed various England teams over recent years - with the Three Lions still awaiting a first competitive win against them.

This run of seven winless matches began almost 24 years ago, with a World Cup qualifier in 1988.

However, what that sequence of results doesn't reveal is that the person arguably responsible for creating the immoveable object that has been Sweden is Roy Hodgson.

England's new boss cut his managerial teeth in Swedish football as a largely unknown 30-something - going on to win seven championships between 1976 and 1990 during spells in charge of Halmstad and Malmo.

Over the course of this period he changed the face of coaching in Sweden, making them defensively sound, mentally strong and organised - passing his wisdom to the country's up-and-coming coaches and its players. Now, in his role as national manager of England, it's his job to finally end this hoodoo. And the good news - he has done it twice before while in charge of Switzerland.

Did you know?
This match will be Roy Hodgson's 90th as an international manager (Switzerland 42, UAE 22, Finland 22, England four). His opposite number Erik Hamren is taking charge of his 26th game.
Coincidentally, it was under the guidance of a Swede that England last qualified for a quarter-final of a European Championship.

That man was Sven-Goran Eriksson, who led them to the last eight in 2004, and he praised the display against the French earlier this week, describing "the defensive block" as the most important element of England's game.

However, with a point now on the board, and with co-hosts Ukraine already boasting one victory, Hodgson knows his side need to offer more of an attacking threat, despite the continued absence of Wayne Rooney, to fully establish themselves in the group.

The Swedes, a nation for so long obsessed with English football, were savaged by their national press following their 2-1 reverse to Ukraine. Head coach Erik Hamren called that defeat one of the worst moments of his career, while captain and goalscorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic was furious with several of his team-mates who, in his view, seemed more preoccupied waving at wives and girlfriends as they left the pitch than the actual result.

There is nothing the Swedes like more than a fixture against England to focus their minds and they will take to the field knowing defeat would spell the end of their Euro 2012 hopes.

MATCH FACTS Head-to-head

England have never beaten Sweden in seven previous competitive meetings. No country has ever stayed unbeaten in eight against England.
The injured Gareth Barry headed England's winner in a Wembley friendly last November as the Three Lions beat Sweden for the first time since 1968.
Four of the last six meetings have ended level, including each of the last three competitive games.
Sweden

Sweden have lost their last three European Championship finals matches - their worst run of defeats in tournament history.
The Swedes have scored in all 11 competitive matches under Erik Hamren's management.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has scored in each of Sweden's last four matches. The last player to score in five successive matches for the Swedes was Henrik Larsson back in 2001.
Ibrahimovic's goal against Ukraine meant he became the fifth player to score at three different European Championships: after Jurgen Klinsmann, Vladimir Smicer, Thierry Henry and Nuno Gomes.
England

England have failed to score more than once in their last seven matches at major tournaments - since a 2-2 World Cup draw with Sweden in 2006 when Joe Cole and Steven Gerrard both scored.
They have won their last four matches at a major tournament on 15 June without conceding a goal, including the Paul Gascoigne-inspired 2-0 win over Scotland at Euro 1996.
However, they have twice lost on this date in European Championship history, including the 3-1 defeat by the Netherlands in 1988.
England made the lowest percentage of passes (51%) in the opposition half of any team in the first round

 

my view is that we will only manage a draw..

 

Going to take us to win.

 

Win particularly if Ibra is fit to play. They have a better record when he doesn't.

 

Lose please.

 

You'll be popular in the pub tonight!

 

3 - 1 to us, they score first

 

Nice to see a bit of patriotism anyway.

 

1-0 Young.

 

My head says draw because Andy Carroll and "going for goals" is the most ironic juxtaposition of the year, my betting slip says England 4-0 and Carroll hattrick because I know never to listen to my head, and my heart says nothing because it doesn't have the linguistic capacity... It just pulsates more vigorously than a Scotsman's forehead vain when pundits even contemplate mentioning England when another match is on(seriously, of all the whinge inducing topics, surely: Imposed monarchy
, Isolated London Government and laws, Us taking your Oil etc are more important than the occasional mention from the English media of our National side? You think Spain, Rep Ireland, France etc give unbias coverage of games or build-up? Grow up. The pundit gripe is the funniest ever hatred manifestation)!!!

My head will probably come out right for once. I mean Carroll is the worst finisher in the league by some distance, and he even misses way more headers than he scores. At least we have a new Heskey!

 

I can see a sending off for England too

 

I'm hopeful we give Carroll his head tonight. His form was good at the back end and we know better than most what a threat he can be. He has the potential to be a top top player, tonight would be a useful starting point!

 

Going to have to be bad for a sending off the way the refs have been so far.

 

What does Mr T think?

 

Probably thinks the turnips will win.

 

England to win 1 - 0, though may need to get a few goals if we want to win the group.

 

Mandy to perform big time. I smell it!

 

Hope so.

 

What a ****ing goal by Andy Carroll.

He's going to be one of the best target men in the world and I never doubted it.

 

So far so good. I have a big nose.