Sweden vs England 2018 World Cup Quarterfinals Betting Preview

England saw their strategy against Belgium in their group play finale pay off, as they had to take on Colombia in the round of 16 but escaped on penalty kicks, and now they face Sweden in the quarterfinals. England has not been to a semifinal since 1990 — and Sweden has not made the semis since 1994, so either team would see an historic advancement with a win. England held a 1-0 lead over Colombia going into stoppage time at the end of the second half, only to see a header carom in off a defender for Colombia, and England needed penalties to prevail. Sweden stopped a technically sound but offensively limited Switzerland team, 1-0, in their round of 16 matchup. Take a look at our World Cup betting preview for this quarterfinal game.

Sweden vs England 2018 World Cup Quarterfinals Betting Preview

#SWE scouting report: how big a threat are #ENG‘s quarter-final opponents? #SWEENG https://t.co/LjkTFQBpYC

— Telegraph Football (@TeleFootball) July 4, 2018

When: Saturday, July 7, 2018, 10:00am ET Where: Samara Arena, Samara, Russia TV: FOX Radio: None Live Stream: fuboTV Soccer Odds: Sweden +300 / Draw +230 / England -110

Why should you bet on Sweden?

Sweden won their group despite losing to Germany in group play, as they beat South Korea and then beat Mexico in the finale, a game that would have sent Mexico home early had South Korea not come out of nowhere to hang a 2-0 loss on Germany.  Mikael Lustig will be missing from the Swedish defense on Saturday thanks to accumulating too many yellow cards, but midfielder Sebastian Larsson returns from a similar ban, so the team should have adequate ball control. If you like Sweden, then you think they’re being overlooked by a media focusing on the quest of Harry Kane for a World Cup. Sweden has delivered solid performances on both sides of the ball but has received some criticism for a lack of emphasis on offense. However, they showed the aggressiveness they needed in their win over Mexico, and they did the same against Switzerland, getting the early tally before settling back into a more defensive mode to keep the Swiss from scoring.

Why should you bet on England?

England had lost three consecutive World Cup matches that had gone to penalties, dating all the way back to that semifinal loss in 1990. The team has shown some offense against inferior opposition, as they hung six goals on Panama in group play, with Harry Kane netting a hat trick. He currently has six goals in this World Cup, more than anyone else. However, they barely escaped Tunisia in 2-1 fashion in their group play opener, and they needed a spot kick to get their goal against Colombia. If you like England, you see that they have a fairly tenacious defense and can control the roaming forwards and midfielders of the opposition in their own third. Their only match against elite opposition so far has come against Belgium, and they were playing that one basically to lose, stocking the field with reserves, so it’s hard to say what they will be able to accomplish against the best defense they have faced in this Cup with advancement on the line.

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

The two teams have met twice before in the World Cup, playing to a 1-1 draw in 2002 and a 2-2 draw in 2006. Of the last 15 meetings between the two sides, England has won just two. The teams played most recently in 2012, as Zlatan Ibrahimovic put four balls into the net to give the Swedes a 4-2 win in Stockholm. Ibrahimovic has retired from the world stage, and Sweden has had to take a more balanced approach between offense and defense since his departure. Emil Forsberg is their scorer — and their defense may be a little sounder than England’s. England has a one-dimensional offense as well, relying heavily on Harry Kane. These two teams are much more even than many observers think, and I’m taking Sweden to prevail, 2-1, as their defense will produce more chances forward than England’s.