Euro 2016 preview and odds: Sweden vs Belgium

Published on: 22/06/2016

Euro 2016 preview and odds: Sweden vs Belgium

Stade de Nice, Nice - 20:00pm 22 June 2016

Group stage - Group E

Sweden need a win to keep their Euro dream alive, while Belgium need a draw to be sure of second place in Group E.

Ibrahimović and Hamren keen to prolong international careers into next week

With Sweden boss Erik Hamren confirming that he will stepping down after the tournament, and star striker Zlatan Ibrahimović also announcing his imminent retirement from international football, both men will hoping to go out on a high note by reaching the knockout stages of Euro 2016. In order to achieve that feat, they will need to lead Sweden to their first win over Belgium since 1961.

Both sides have failed to impress and this year`s event with Sweden failing to manage a single shot on target so far, and star-studded Belgium appearing lesser than the sum of their parts.

Ibrahimović played a crucial role in getting Sweden to the finals but he has so far failed to shine in France. Can the big man pull off one more epic performance before he hangs up his national boots?

Belgium were poor in their opener against Italy but looked much improved in the 3-0 win over Ireland. Coach Marc Wilmots has faced plenty of criticism for not getting the best out of his considerably talented team and will be looking to hit back at the critics by leading his side to the last 16.

With so much at stake, this game could have a cup final feel and should make for intriguing viewing. Sweden are likely to sit back and bide their time, while Belgium can be expected to play on the front foot.

Form (all competitions):

Sweden: LDWDDLDWWW

Belgium: WLWDWLWWWW

Betting predictions

After a poor start from both sides, only Belgium have showed significant signs of improvement.

You can back Belgium to win at 17/20 with Bet365.

By Neil Morris

Published on: 22/06/2016

Any odds displayed within this preview were correct at the time of publishing (22/06/2016 17:27:15) but are subject to change.