In the final round of Group E, Poland take on Sweden in the hopes of qualifying for the Round of 16. Poland is currently 4th on the table while Sweden is at the top. They just need one point to qualify. Meanwhile, Poland needs a win to keep their Knockout round hopes alive.
The swedes are the clear favorites for the fixture. Poland have struggled in this tournament and have just one point from 2 fixtures. The fans will be hoping for Robert Lewandowski to save them from getting kicked out of the tournament.
The match is set to take place at the Krestovsky Stadium in St Petersburg on Wednesday at 09:30 pm.
Analysis Sweden vs Poland
Sweden is expected to resort to their trustworthy 4-4-2 lineup against Poland for the upcoming fixture. It’s well suited to the Swedes and has already helped them to a win against Slovakia and draw against mighty Spain.
The Swedes will be hoping their star player Alexander Isak can break down the Polish defense. The 21-year-old is the youngest player ever to score a senior international goal. He has been an absolute delight to watch during this edition of the Euros.
Meanwhile, Poland will lineup in a 3-5-2 or a 3-1-4-2 formation, they used the latter against Spain in the goalless draw. While with the first formation they lost against Slovakia in their first fixture of the tournament.
The Poles will be hoping their star striker Lewandowski can help the team to win. It’s a must-win match for the Poles, who are expected to give a tough fight to Sweden.
Team News and Injuries
Sweden
Dejan Kulusevski has been cleared to rejoin the squad after self-isolating with COVID-19. It’s good news for Sweden, who can now count on the services of the Juventus star for the tight fixture.
Though Sweden’s star midfielder Mattias Svanberg might not be available for the fixture. He is currently injured though Sweden is sure he will recover soon.
Predicted Line-ups: Olsen; Lustig, Lindelöf, Danielson, Augustinsson; S Larsson, Ekdal, Olsson, Forsberg; Isak, Quaison.
Poland
The names on Poland’s injury list keep on increasing, with Jakob Moder also rumored to be out against Sweden. The team has already lost both Krzysztof Piatek and Arkadiusz Milik before the start of the Euros.
Their midfield lynchpin Grzegorz Krychowiak will be available after missing out on the 2nd game due to suspension. He missed the match against Spain due to being sent off in Poland’s opening game against Slovakia.
Predicted Line-ups: Szczęsny; Bereszyński, Bednarek, Glik; Jóźwiak, Moder, Krychowiak, Zieliński, Puchacz; Lewandowski, Świderski.
Head to Head: Sweden vs Poland
Poland has a poor record against the Nordic nation. They have won only 8 matches out of a total 26 matches, with Sweden winning 14. Their last meeting was in 2003 in a friendly at the Stockholms Olympiastadion in Stockholm.
Though ruling out Poland out of this fixture due to the this information would be a mistake. The team has significantly improves since 2004 and with Lewandowski to lead their front line anything is possible.
Sweden Form: W-W-W-D-W ( all competitions)
Poland Form: L-D-D-L-D (all competitions)
How can Sweden and Poland qualify?
Sweden
They are almost guaranteed to qualify for the knockout stages of a European Championship for the first time in 17 years. They were able to hold off Spain to a goalless in their first game of the Euros. Meanwhile, in the second match, they defeated high flying Slovakia 1-0 at the Gazprom Arena in Russia.
If Sweden wins against Poland they will qualify as group leaders with 7 points. Incase of a draw Sweden would still qualify but their position on the table will depend on the result of the match between Spain and Slovakia.
The Swedes will finish 2nd if Slovakia wins against Spain but finish 1st if Slovakia loses. But if Spain wins, the result would come down to tiebreakers. A loss vs Poland would result in Sweden coming 3rd if either Spain or Slovakia win. A three-way tiebreaker would be needed if Slovakia and Spain ends in a draw. But even in the worst case scenario the Swedes will qualify as the best 3rd-placed team.
Poland
If they win and there is a draw in the Spain-Slovakia match then they could potentially finish 1st due to the 3-way tiebreaker between the remaining teams. But a win by either Spain or Slovakia would see them finish 2nd.
A draw or loss would see the Poles eliminated from the Euros since they would finish with just 1 or 2 points out of 3 games in the group stage.
12th Man Prediction: Sweden 1 – 1 Poland
It’s going to be a close match between the two teams in the last round of Group E. Though the Swedes have looked solid in defense, Poland will be going all out to secure a win in this match. We are expecting Poland to score first to take the lead and try to drag on the match.
Poland has found the net in all of their last 6 fixtures which includes Spain and Slovakia, with the latter currently leading the group. But three of their last four games have ended in draws and Sweden will be more than happy to finish the group stage with a draw which ensures their qualification.
