The Swedes need a win in Tuesday's qualifying match against
Finland in order to keep pace with a red-hot Netherlands side in Group E. If
Finland can get the win then their +5 goal difference would put them ahead of
Hungary.
Whilst the Concacaf Gold Cup goes on over the pond, in Europe the Qualifying round for Euro 2012 is well under way. Last week Sweden took to the field against Moldova in qualification
play this past Friday, winning 4-1 to put their record at four wins and one
loss through five group matches.
Even with frontman Zlatan Ibrahimovic missing, the Swedes
controlled the game from the opening whistle. Johan Elmander netted a brace
while Ola Toivonen and Alexander Gerndt added goals in the comfortable victory.
With the win, Sweden now sits six points behind the Dutch,
albeit with a game in hand. Three points on Tuesday would certainly put some
pressure on the group leaders.
Though Finland will do its best to spoil the party, in the
end the squad may simply not have the quality to keep up.
The Finns enter this encounter having barely squeaked by
whipping boys San Marino in their most recent qualifier.
A Mikael Forssell first-half goal spared his team's blushes
though, handing Finland a much-needed three points. Still, the Finns have a
massive hill to climb if they want to advance, as Netherlands, Sweden and
Hungary are all above them at the moment.
Unfortunately for Finland, the team has already played both
of its matches against San Marino, thus the results must come against the best
squads within the group.
Talent of Sweden too much for Finns to handle
As expected, the Swedes are the clear favorites with regards
to the soccer odds for Tuesday's meeting at Rasunda Stadion.
They have been made -400 favorites at Bodog, leaving Finland
at a laughable +1000 to capture a stunning victory away from home. A draw would
net you +425 profit at the same book.
The danger men for Sweden are Johan Elmander, Ola Toivonen
and of course the legendary Zlatan Ibrahimovic, all three of which are
forwards.
Ibrahimovic was absent in the win over Moldova due to foot
and ankle problems, but there's still an outside chance he'll be back for this
clash with neighboring Finland. Nonetheless, the Swedes showcased their
impressive depth in attack as Elmander and Toivonen combined nicely up front in
Friday's win.
Should Ibrahimovic return, head coach Erik Hamren will have
a very difficult decision on his hands. Three fantastic strikers, but only two
open slots in the starting XI.
While Sweden has a number of different weapons who can
score, the Finns are mostly reliant on one man: Mikael Forssell.
The 30-year-old, who plays for German side Hannover 96, has
already found the back of the net six times in five qualifying matches,
including a hat-trick in Finland's earlier 8-0 thrashing of San Marino.
What I mentioned earlier in this article is the disparity in
quality between these two teams, and despite there being little to no value in
backing the Swedes at -400, it would absolutely shock me if they do not win by
a comfortable margin on Tuesday.
In soccer betting, look for Sweden to control the tempo from the get-go and
grab the three points to keep Netherlands on its toes in Group E.
FREE Pick: Sweden 2 Finland 0