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Sweden qualified for the Euro 2008 as a second-placed team in qualifying Group F, two points behind Spain. The tournament will mark their 4th appearance in the European Championship finals.
Sweden, ranked 24th in the world by FIFA, will be in Group D along with Spain, Greece and Russia, and will kick off their campaign on June 10th against Greece in Salzburg, Austria.
The road to Euro 2008:
Sweden won their opening 4 games in the qualifying, before losing 2-1 to Northern Ireland in Belfast. In their next match, they were awarded a 3-0 win over Denmark following an incident in Copenhagen when a spectator attacked the referee.
Then, they were held to a tie by Northern Ireland at home before beating Spain 3-0 and secured a qualification with a win over Latvia on November 21 2007.
The team:
Although increasingly focused on the attack, the Swedes are also known to patiently wait for their chance and play on the break, especially against stronger teams.
Andreas Isaksson (Manchester City) looks set for the goalkeeper’s position, while their defense suffered a setback with the injury of Wigan Athletic defender Erik Edman.
The left-back, who started 10 of their 12 qualifying games, looks certain to miss the Euro 2008.
In the midfield, Tobias Linderoth is back in the line-up after a hip injury, and West Ham United’s Fredrik Ljungberg and Deportivo La Coruna’s Christian Wilhelmsson look set to take over the wings.
Sweden should not have any problems in the attack having in mind the presence of Inter striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic. They are also boosted by the return of Henrik Larsson (Helsingborgs), who hasn't played for the national team since he retired in 2006. Johan Elmander FC Toulouse) and veteran Marcus Allback (FC Copenhagen).
Coach Profile:
Lars Lagerback was promoted to joint coach of Sweden in 2000 alongside Tommy Soderberg. The pair were in charge during the 2002 World Cup and the Euro 2004, and after Soderberg left the national team Lagerback was left as the sole coach.
Team record:
The best result for Sweden at the European Soccer Championships is reaching the semifinals of the tournament they hosted in 1992. Four years ago, in Portugal, they reached the quarter-finals but lost to the Netherlands on penalties.
Their best result in the 11 appearances at the FIFA World Cup was runners-up at the tournament they hosted in 1958.
At the last World Cup in Germany, Sweden was eliminated in the first knockout round,
losing 2-0 to the hosts.
Sources: Euro 2008, UEFA, FIFA, Swedish Soccer Federation
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