Women's Euro 2022: England and Sweden on collision course

The Lionesses are two wins away from European Championship glory, but a fine Sweden side stand in their way in the semi-finals…

England rode their luck in the quarter-finals

Having breezed through Group A with a minimum of fuss, England showed another side to their game in the quarter-finals. The hosts were outplayed for much of their meeting with Spain, who were much more accomplished in possession and did a better job of dealing with the pressure of the occasion.

But this is an England side with an abundance of character and resolve. They conceded the opening goal and could easily have shipped a second, but the Lionesses dug deep and fought their way back into the game. Ella Toone’s late equaliser forced extra time, before Georgia Stanway’s stunning strike sent England through to the last four.

Sarina Wiegman will have been delighted with the mental fortitude her team showed, but she will also be a little concerned that England were outplayed for a large chunk of the game. Their all-round performance will need to be better here.

Up-and-coming Sweden are in good shape

Sweden were also made to sweat in their quarter-final, albeit for a different reason. They were in full control of the game from start to finish but could not find a way past a spirited Belgium side. By the end of the match the shot count was 27-4 in Sweden’s favour, but it took them until second-half stoppage time to finally break their opponents’ resolve – and hearts.

Sweden are an up-and-coming force in the women’s game, having reached the semi-finals of the 2019 World Cup and finished second at the Olympics last summer. These players have experience of participating in the latter stages of major tournaments and they will not be fazed by having to face the hosts in the semi-final.

England and Sweden look to be pretty evenly matched, but that is not what the odds suggest. Home advantage may well give the Lionesses the edge, but 4.7 on a Sweden to win is excellent value and too attractive a price to be passed up.

England and Sweden are just one game away from a Wembley final

Game could open up after the interval

Semi-finals tend to be tight, tense affairs for obvious reasons, and we will probably see a cagey start on Tuesday.

Sweden will be content to try and quieten the Sheffield crowd down and would not be too disappointed, you feel, with a goalless first half. Having been comprehensively outplayed in the first half against Spain, England would probably settle for a relatively uneventful opening 45 too.

Eventually, though, the game will open up. Once the first goal is scored, one team will need to throw everything at the other to get back into the match. That could result in things getting stretched, the most likely consequence of which is more goals. Go for over 1.5 to be scored after the interval at 2.24.

And given the attacking quality on display, together with the fact that England and Sweden have found the net in each of their encounters up to now, both teams to score would be an astute choice at 2.16.

Recommended bets

Sweden @ 4.7

Over 1.5 2nd half @ 2.24  

BTTS @ 2.16