England vs. Sweden Predictions: Two tips as Lionesses bid to make Euro 2022 final

Clear those schedules and plop yourself in front of a TV or mobile device, England are now one game away from making the Euro 2022 final on home soil. The Lionesses battled past Spain in the quarter-finals to set up a tasty last-four tie against Sweden at Bramall Lane in Sheffield, which takes place on Tuesday night at 8pm. Below we preview the clash and pick out two tips…

England have experienced semi-final heartbreak in their last three major tournaments but this time around they have every reason to believe they can make it through to their first final since 2009. They are currently the 13/8 favourites in the betting, ahead of Germany (5/2), France (3/1), and Tuesday’s opposition Sweden (6/1).

The Lionesses have won their last 10 matches on the spin, top the goalscoring charts (16), have conceded just once, and have the knowledge that if the starting-11 can’t find an answer then there are plenty of high-quality and impactful options available to call on off the bench. On top of that, they have the Euro 2017 winning-manager masterminding their charge, Sarina Wiegman, who has still yet to suffer a defeat since taking over in September (16 wins, 2 draws, 100 goals scored, 4 conceded).

However, as the match against Spain showed, England can take nothing for granted. They were just six minutes away from dropping out of the tournament, only for substitute Ella Toone to force extra-time, then Georgia Stanway scored an absolute thunderbolt to fire the hosts into the semi-finals.

Only the USA are ranked higher than World No.2 Sweden, who have come close to glory in each of their last two major tournaments: they reached the Olympic final last year - heartbreakingly losing to Canada on penalties - and finished 3rd at the 2019 World Cup after beating England in the play-off.

The Swedes topped their group with seven points then netted a 92nd-minute winner to edge past a battling Belgium in the quarters. The 1984 European Champions haven’t lost a game since the Olympic final with that their sole defeat in a whopping 34 matches dating back to March 2020.

It’s England who have been installed as the 10/11 favourites to win in 90 minutes and 4/11 to progress through to the final. Sweden are 15/4 to come out on top in normal time and 21/10 to set-up a final against either France or Germany. Meanwhile, a draw at 90 minutes is priced at 5/2.

This match pits together two teams that simply aren’t accustomed to losing. England remain undefeated under Wiegman, a run which stretched to 18 matches following their quarter-final comeback win. Meanwhile, Sweden are now 16 matches unbeaten, while they haven’t lost a game - other than penalties - in two-and-a-half-years.

England are the favourites, fuelled by a passionate home crowd, yet they are likely to be in store for another tightly-contested duel, as two teams starved of major tournament glory attempt to book their place in Sunday’s showpiece spectacular. This one has every chance of going the distance, making the draw at 90 minutes appeal at 5/2 with bet365.

Two key cogs in the Wiegman wheel have been Beth Mead and Georgia Stanway.

Mead's goalscoring record under Wiegman is stunning. The Arsenal sharp-shooter now has 19 goals and 12 assists following the Dutchwoman's appointment in September; eight of those goal contributions coming at Euro 2022. She's still top of the tournament's goalscoring charts (5) and is favourite to win the Golden Boot, however she does have Germany's Alexandra Popp (4) hot on her heels, so will be eager to bolster her tally on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Stanway has played a pivotal role from midfield. She's on penalties, scoring the opener against Norway, then fired in a sensational long-range winner against Spain in the semi-finals. She's heavily-involved in England's attacking play and certainly isn't afraid to burst into the box or have a crack from distance.

Given the above, I really like the look of Paddy Power's boosted odds of 3/1 (up from 6/4) for both Mead and Stanway to have 1 or more shots on target each during the 90 minutes.