UEFA EURO 2020 - SWEDEN VS UKRAINE PREVIEW

The last UEFA EURO 2020 match in Glasgow awaits as Sweden take on Ukraine on Tuesday evening in the Round of 16, with a place in the quarter-final up for grabs. The Swedes have featured at 6 UEFA European Championships, going all the way to the semi-final in 1992. Meanwhile, Ukraine have only featured at 3 EURO's - all since 2012.

Both countries have had legends of the game pull on their respective jerseys in the past with the likes of Henrik Larsson, Andriy Shevchenko and Freddie Ljungberg featuring for their countries. Sweden will be without star striker Zlatan Ibrahimović who picked up a knee injury earlier this season. The aforementioned Andriy Shevchenko took over as national team manager in 2016 and has already achieved never seen before success by progressing from the group stage.

WHEN DO SWEDEN PLAY UKRAINE

Round of 16: 8pm, Tuesday 29^th June – Hampden Park Stadium.

RECENT FORM

Sweden opened their EURO 2020 campaign with a 0-0 draw against Spain. The opening Group E match certainly tested the Swedes resolve, facing a Spanish side that had over 75% possession and over 17 attempts on goal. Defender Victor Lindelöf was the worthy winner of the Star of the Match award in a disciplined defensive performance. The Swedes picked up their first 3 points in the group with a 1-0 win over Slovakia, with a late Emile Forsberg penalty sealing the victory. Their final match of the group stages was definitely a thrilling encounter, with a 94^th minute Viktor Claesson strike securing all 3 points in a 3-2 win over Poland. Sweden will be full of confidence after finishing top of Group E undefeated. 

Ukraine started their group campaign with a narrow 3-2 defeat to the Netherlands. After falling 2-0 behind, 2 goals in quick succession got Ukraine back on terms with 10 minutes to go. However a 85^th minute strike from wing-back Denzel Dumfries was enough to win the game for the Dutch. North Macedonia - featuring at their first UEFA European Championship's -  were up next. Andriy Yarmolenko scored his second goal of the tournament and the lead was added to by Roman Yaremchuk, sealing a 2-1 win for Ukraine. Austria came out victorious on the final Group C matchday, defeating Ukraine 1-0. A total of 3 points was still enough to see Shevchenko’s side progress to the Round of 16.

PREVIOUS MEETINGS

The last encounter between the 2 sides came in UEFA EURO 2012, with Ukraine taking all 3 points in their Group D match up. The big hitters were on hand for their country as Zlatan Ibrahimović opened the scoring before 2 Andriy Shevchenko headers sealed a 2-1 win for Ukraine. This will be the 5^th meeting between these 2 nations, with Ukraine winning two of the previous 4. Sweden last beat Ukraine in 2011 with the other match finishing in a 1-all draw in an international friendly.

IN THE DUGOUT

Janne Andersson took charge of the Swedish national team in 2016 following a disappointing EURO 2016 campaign. He led the Swedes to their first World Cup in 12 years by defeating Italy and Netherlands on their way to the tournament. Previously, Andersson led IFK Norrköping to their first Allsvenskan in 26 years after defeating defending champions Malmo FF in the final match of the season. Sweden will be looking to build on their qualifying and group stage success by progressing into the quarter final.

Ukraine manager Andriy Shevchenko had a stunning playing career, and is the all-time top scorer for his country. After a brief spell as assistant manager, Shevshenko took full charge of the national team in 2016. Failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, Ukraine topped EURO 2020 Qualifying Group B without losing a game, finishing 3 points above a star-studded Portugal side.

ONE TO WATCH

Sweden playmaker Emil Forsberg will be looking to unlock the Ukraine defence with his creativity and eye for both a pass and a goal. 7 goals and 5 assists in 29 Bundesliga games, make the RB Leipzig number 10 a real attacking threat, who can play on the left or more recently as an attacking midfielder. Forsberg has 3 goals in 3 group matches, and will certainly be one to watch in this Round of 16 match up.