Two teams who haven’t lost a match in 2021 play each other in the second game of Euro 2020 Group E. Spain (ESP) will be keen to prove that they still belong to Europe’s elite after failing to make it to the quarter-finals of a major tournament since the 2012 Euros. Meanwhile, Sweden (SWE) has not been able to go beyond the group stage in the last three editions. Both teams played out a 1-1 draw in their last meeting.
Spain boss Luis Enrique is spoilt for choices in the attacking department. Gerard Moreno scored 23 goals for Villarreal in the recently concluded La Liga season, while Alvaro Morata and Ferran Torres scored four goals between them in the 6-0 thrashing of Germany. Also, Pau Torres and Aymeric Laporte’s presence have made the backline more solid.
Sweden will be hoping their back four can keep Spain’s world-class attackers at bay in Sevilla. They have conceded just one goal in their last five outings. In the absence of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Marcus Berg will lead Sweden’s attacking unit. The 34-year-old played a pivotal role in the victories over Estonia, Finland, and Armenia.
Recent Form (last five matches)
ESP: W (4-0 vs Lithuania), D (0-0 vs Portugal), W (3-1 vs Kosovo), W (1-2 vs Georgia), D (1-1 vs Greece)
SWE: W (3-1 vs Armenia), W (2-0 vs Finland), W (1-0 vs Estonia), W (0-3 vs Kosovo) W (1-0 Georgia)
Head-to-Head
Played: 14
ESP won: 6
SWE won: 3
Drawn: 5
Stats & Facts
- M Berg (FOR) netted two goals and an assist in Sweden’s last three fixtures
- A Morata (FOR) converted a penalty in Spain’s 3-0 win over Sweden in the Euro 2020 Qualifiers
- J Alba (DEF) made three assists in his last two appearances for Spain
- F Torres (FOR) scored five goals in his last five matches for Spain
- E Forsberg (MID) scored a goal and an assist in Sweden’s 3-1 victory over Armenia
Injuries/Suspensions
ESP: S Busquets Burgos (unavailable)
SWE: D Kulusevski (unavailable), M Svanberg (unavailable)
Playing 11
ESP (possible): U Simon; C Azpilicueta, A Laporte, P Torres, J Alba; M Llorente, R Hernandez Cascante, P Gonzalez Lopez; G Moreno, A Morata, F Torres
SWE (possible): R Olsen; M Lustig, V Lindelof, M Danielson, L Augustinsson; S Larsson, A Ekdal, K Olsson, E Forsberg; A Isak, M Berg
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Parameswaran Sankaranarayanan
Parameswaran Sankaranarayan is a sports enthusiast who has worked in print, website, and other digital platforms. He was part of the editorial team of first-ever Indian football-based website - IndianFootball.com (now defunct) - and passionately follows the latest happenings in world football. During his time as a journalist, he had the opportunity to interact with some of the iconic personalities in Indian sports and witness some memorable moments in Indian football.
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