Patient English To Beat Swedes After Half Time

England is attractive odds to take advantage of Sweden`s desperation by recording a Group D win after the players suck on their half-time oranges with the scores level.

Roy Hodgson has stamped his authority on the Three Lions and, as anyone who seen any of Hodgson`s club and national teams play over the course of his 30-plus-year managerial career knows, he is an expert at coaching sides to defend and his number-one priority is keeping clean sheet.

Hodgson-coached sides only throw caution to the wind in extreme circumstances and that is not the scenario facing the English. It is, however, the one facing the Swedes.

Having lost its opening game 1-2 to Euro 2012 host Ukraine, Sweden knows that it is probably win or bust for it in Kyiv, what with the highly rated France team next on its schedule.

The Swedes may be a more exciting side to watch under Erik Hamren than they were under his long-serving predecessor, Lars Lagerback, but they are unlikely to adopt a gung-ho approach in their quest for three points, particularly versus an England team with which it is very familiar.

The two countries met at Wembley Stadium in November last year and only one goal - a deflected Gareth Barry effort - separated the sides. It was a friendly match of few chances and only a brave punter would bet against anything other than an equally cagey affair in the competitive arena.

The most likely script is a nervy first half followed by a more open second period as Sweden, figuring that it has to force the issue because of the group table, releases some of its defenders and midfielders forward to support Zlatan Ibrahimovic and whomever Hamren selects as his partner, leaving gaps for the English to exploit on the break.

Hodgson`s forte is setting up counter-attacking sides and England, while it continues to miss the services of Wayne Rooney through suspension, has an abundance of pace in its forward ranks, coupled with precision on the big stage.

The English, for once, deserve to be warm favourites for a game at a major international tournament against a team with something of a pedigree. There would be nothing wrong in taking the general 11-10 about England winning the match, although there appears better value in exotic betting.

Draw-England in half-time/full-time double-result betting pays around 4-1 and splitting stakes appropriately on 1-0 and 2-0 wins for the English pays about the same dividend.

The Ukrainians entertain the French earlier in the day and it is difficult to foresee anything other than an away win.

France beat Ukraine 4-1 in Donetsk 12 months ago and Les Bleus did not start with most of their guns, including Karim Benzema, Samir Nasri and Franck Ribery. Benzema and Ribery came off the bench, while Nasri did not take to the field.

There are 38 places between the French and the Ukrainians in the current FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking and, even allowing for home advantage and the buzz that Andriy Shevchenko`s brace versus the Swedes has generated in the former Soviet nation, it is easy to see why the odds are what they are.

France should have too much class for a Ukraine side that, let it not be forgotten, lost 0-2 to Turkey and 2-3 to Austria in the weeks leading up to the Euro 2012 kick off.

The French are several classes better than the Turks and the Austrians and they will have identified their game versus the Ukrainians as their easiest group-phase assignment.

Go To bet365

#Ad

14/06/2012     © Frixo 2026