Sweden vs Poland LIVE: Euro 2020 team news, line-ups and more today
Follow live coverage as Sweden take on Poland tonight in St Petersburg as Euro 2020 Group E reaches its final round of games with everything still to play for. Sweden have four points, Slovakia have three, Spain have two and Poland have one, and it means all four sides still have the possibility of qualifying for the next round.
Sweden are the only nation of the four already through to the knockout stages so will they take their eye off the ball tonight? Poland will hope so as they aim to find a route through after an opening defeat to Slovakia and a draw with Spain, earned thanks to Robert Lewandowski’s towering second-half header, and the Poles will need their talisman at his best again tonight against a defensively dogged Swedish team. Janne Andersson’s side may not have been a thrilling watch so far but they top the group thanks to a well-organised back-line and a little bit of spark in attack through Alexander Isak, the 21-year-old striker who has impressed so far.
Follow all the latest updates from the match below.
Euro 2020: Sweden can’t just focus on one player
Poland’s greatest threat will, of course, be Robert Lewandowski, but Swedish defender Marcus Danielson was keen to make the point that they can’t just focus on stopping him.
“We can’t focus on just one player [Robert Lewandowski],” he said. “Of course he’s their best and most important player, but we need to defend as a team – against him and the rest of the Polish team.
“All the players work hard together. We have a structure and a defence that works really well, and we never shy away from the effort needed in every match.”
Euro 2020: Poland’s team spirit is improved, according to Szczęsny
Poland goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny believes that his side’s team spirit is much better after his side’s 0-0 draw with Spain compared to their 2-1 loss to Slovakia
“Team spirit is much better after the second game than before,” he told Euro2020.com. “After the first match there was anger, but in a positive sense. Usually when we lose it makes us sad or angry. Sadness is a very negative emotion, and anger usually causes a very positive reaction. We experienced that in the second match.”
Euro 2020: Sweden already through to round of 16
Sweden have already qualified for the round of 16 due to results elsewhere.
Their total of four points means that they will finish as one of the four best third-placed teams even if results tonight mean that the table-toppers drop down to third.
Here’s who they could face in the next round:
1st: Third place from Group A or Group B
2nd: Croatia
3rd: Netherlands
Euro 2020: Lewandowski wants to score two goals, says Klich
Leeds United and Poland midfield Mateusz Klich has said that he thinks his side will definitely score tonight, despite Sweden’s strong defensive record.
“We know that the Swedes conceded just one goal in the last seven games and are very well organized defensively,” he told the media.
“However, if we play fast ball, we will concentrate on what we have to do, we are able to score at least one goal for them. I think that Robert Lewandowski himself would like to score two goals. We have a plan for this game, first of all we have to not concede at the back and we will definitely score something. We will fight.”
Euro 2020: Game is like a final for Poland
Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the game, Poland head coach Paulo Sousa emphasised the importance of this match for his team.
“For us it is like a final,” he said. “We have been working hard since the first day of our training camp to be prepared. We also get a lot of energy from the fans. Thanks to them, we have not felt we have played away at the EURO finals, they always supported us. It is a big honour for me to represent them.”
Hello and welcome along to our live updates from Euro 2020, starting with Sweden vs Poland and the culmination of Group E which is all to play for… Sweden have four points, Slovakia have three, Spain have two and Poland have one, and it means all four sides still have the possibility of qualifying for the next round.
Sweden are the only nation of the four already through to the knockout stages so will they take their eye off the ball tonight? Poland will hope so as they aim to find a route through after an opening defeat to Slovakia and a draw with Spain, earned thanks to Robert Lewandowski’s towering second-half header, and the Poles will need their talisman at his best again tonight against a defensively dogged Swedish team. Janne Andersson’s side may not have been a thrilling watch so far but they top the group thanks to a well-organised back-line and a little bit of spark in attack through Alexander Isak, the 21-year-old striker who has impressed so far.
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