Sweden vs Slovakia preview: Slovaks out to cause another shock

Group E: Slovakia vs Sweden, kick-off 2pm (UK time, BBC1)

It’s all to play for as matchday two in Group E gets going with Sweden facing Slovakia at the Krestovsky Stadium in Saint Petersburg.

Both teams pulled off surprise results in their opening games, with Sweden holding Spain to a goalless draw and Slovakia claiming a 2-1 win over Poland.

Victory for the Slovaks would guarantee their progress while a win would also likely be enough for the Swedes to qualify as one of the best third-placed sides as a minimum.

So, how brave will they be knowing a loss would leave them with work to do on matchday three in order to progress?

Story so far

Slovakia pulled off one of the surprise results of matchday one by beating a strong Polish side 2-1 in Saint Petersburg.

Wojciech Szczesny’s own goal gave them an 18th-minute lead, with Robert Mak’s shot hitting the post and then the Juventus keeper’s head on its way in.

Karol Linetty brought parity early in the second half before Milan Skriniar bagged a stunning winner, crashing home a half-volley from a corner.

Sweden also managed to cause a shock, holding Spain to a goalless draw in Seville.

La Roja dominated possession (85%) and had 17 shots to the Swedes’ four. But Jan Andersson’s men managed to escape with a very handy point from their toughest fixture on paper. 

Who will take control?

Slovakia faced 10 men for the final 30 minutes of their match against Poland after Grzegorz Krychowiak was sent off — yet still finished the game with just 42% possession.

Sweden, meanwhile, went into their encounter against Spain with a clear game plan having faced La Roja twice during qualification.

They knew the hosts would dominate possession so they didn’t try to combat it. Andersson’s men ended the game having had 15% possession, completing just 82 passes.

That means one of these two nations will have to change their approach today and assert their authority.

Though the assumption is that we’ll see a different Sweden side to the one that faced Spain, they’re much more conservative and may concede possession again — backing their defensive unit to repel Slovakia.

Counter-pressing

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp once said “No playmaker in the world can be as good as a good counter-pressing situation”.

If Sweden are at their resilient best, Slovakia will have to think outside of the box if they’re to have any joy on the night.

Against Spain, Andersson’s men attempted 141 passes and lost possession on 34 occasions. They finished with a pass accuracy of just 54%.

Sweden are loose on the ball and teams can exacerbate that situation by pressing aggressively.

The Alexander Isak show

Playing against the nation in which he plays his club football, Alexander Isak was Sweden’s stand-out player in Seville on matchday one.

The 21-year-old had a shot cleared off the line and his genius bit of skill, which saw him slalom past half of the Spanish defence in the tightest of areas, resulted in the chance of the match for Marcus Berg, who missed an open goal at the back post.

Sweden can’t be as passive as they were against La Roja meaning Isak should be much more involved this time around.

The Slovakian old guard

While it was a youngster catching the eye for Sweden, Slovakia relied on their experienced players to see them over the line against Poland.

Mak, 30, was a bright spark on the left side of the three behind lone striker Ondrej Duda.

He nimbly avoided two Polish players before bursting into the penalty area and firing a shot goalwards. It took a deflection before hitting the post and rebounding in off Szczesny to give Slovakia the lead.

Mak also had a part in the winner when his corner was flicked on to Skriniar, who casually volley home like a seasoned striker.

Another member of Slovakia’s old guard, 33-year-old Marek Hamsik, finished the match with three shots. It was a total only Robert Lewandowski (5) could better.

Stick or twist?

Slovakia have points in the bag. They can afford to take a risk against Sweden knowing a win assures them of progress into the knockout round.

It’d also give them a bit of freedom in the final clash against Spain.

Whoever wins Group E will face a third-placed team from one of Group A, B, C or D. 

If they finish as runners-up, they’ll face whoever finishes second in England’s group. If they finish third, they could face the Netherlands.

Weighing everything up, going for it tonight could give them a favourable draw in the knockout stages.