Online bookmaker Paddy Power are offering some Money Back Special coverage for your England v Sweden betting. Captain Steven Gerrard is the pivotal man in the English midfield, the driving force and the one who looks most likely to play that killer ball. With his influence from dead ball situations as well, England need the Liverpool man. If Steven Gerrard scores at any time in the match then Paddy Power will refund all losing First Goalscorer, Last Goalscorer, Correct Score and Scorecast single bets placed on the match. This provides a great deal of coverage for your betting on Friday, as Roy Hodgson sends his men out, determined to pick up three points and put them firmly in contention for a place in the quarter finals. This is a great England v Sweden betting Money Back Special, and online bookmaker Paddy Power offer a free £50 bet for new customers registering an account with them.
England v Sweden Euro 2012 Odds at Paddy Power
England 23/20, Draw 9/4, Sweden 11/4
The coverage from the Paddy Power Money Back Special will allow you to take a good look at the First Goalscorer market for example, where England really need someone to stand up. Danny Welbeck was England’s brightest player up top in their 1-1 draw against France, and he is favourite at 7/1 to open the scoring, joined by Sweden’s danger-man Zlatan Ibrahimovic. England have to build upon all of the hard work which they laid down in that opening draw against France. It wasn’t pretty football to watch from the Three Lions, it was basically a matter of parking two banks of four in front of keeper Joe Hart and letting France to break them down. England scored off a free kick and apart from that, they looked very non-threatening going forward. But maybe that is the only way that England are going to get through this tournament, but staying disciplined and focus at the back, and relying on set pieces. Certainly there is an air of damage limitation until Wayne Rooney gets back into the line up, because there was a distinct lack of link up between the England midfield and the forwards.
Roy Hodgson has suggested that both Steven Gerrard and Scott Parker may need rests at some point, so will the boss change things up for Sweden? It’s unlikely because that is simply going to be too risky. England really need a win against the Swedes to be comfortable and they need to send their strongest side out from the start. England do miss Wayne Rooney, without a doubt, and they are lacking a real outlet of creativity. Still, they have to work as a team, and that they have done and they have looked fairly secure at the back under Hodgson. This is down to a zonal game, where the players know their areas and stick to their tasks. They may get a little more time on the ball in the middle of the park against Sweden, because the Swedes like to go with a 4-4-2 as well. That’s how they started off against the Ukraine in their opening match, in which they took the lead through Ibrahimovic but were then stunned by an Andriy Schevchenko double. So the Swedes will be coming out hungrier than ever as they go in search of their first point, knowing that a win would very much keep their qualification hopes alive. At this point, there doesn’t look to be too much to split England and Sweden.
Sweden have never lost to England in a competitive match, winning two and drawing five. In the European Championships, Sweden hold a W2 D1 L0 advantage over the Three Lions.
Sweden have been tough opponents for England before, and the Three Lions scored their fist victory over them for the first time since 1968 with a 1-0 win at Wembley last November. It has to be said the Swedes were very disappointing and disinterested on that night, but England still struggled to break them down. There is no foregone conclusion here, but England do at least go into the match as favourites. Sweden are solid, much like England, but really nothing special, so it should be an even contest. Simply what England fans want to see though is far more aggression and confidence in putting their foot on the ball and getting forward with conviction. We didn’t see any of that against France. It really isn’t a time to go changing up the midfield, so three points against the Swedes and looking forward to Rooney’s return in their final group match, should put England in pretty good standing. Things are always tight between these two and even the head to head record stands at six wins each and nine draws.
Prediction: If England’s defence can silence Ibrahimovic, then England will stand a chance here. Here’s hoping that they are more positive and actually offer something going forward themselves. Hodgson is not going to budge from the 4-4-2, which is fine as long as they don’t fall behind. Look for an England narrow winning margin, and 1-0 Correct Score for 6/1 at online bookmaker Paddy Power may be worth a punt with their Money Back Special in place.
