Italy – Sweden

Italy and Sweden will square off in Group E, with Sweden the more motivated side to get the three points after failing to beat Ireland in the opening round.

Italy showed a great display of pragmatic football in the surprise 2-0 win over Belgium. The Italians defended very well, as we know they can and proved yet again that they are excellent on counters, even if they don`t have the offensive talents they once had. Sure, Belgium could have won that as well, or it could have ended in a draw, so Italy will probably not have the same success in every game – but signs are good for Squadra Azzura.

Sweden was decent in the 1-1 draw with Republic of Ireland, but failing to win that game might prove decisive in their quest to qualify. Sweden played its usual pragmatic and balanced style of football, it was a rather boring game with not many goal scoring chances. This time Ibrahimovic was not able to score and save the day for Sweden, so they had to settle for 1 point, which was not a disaster considering they were down 0-1.

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Team news & lineups:

Pelle is doubtful for Italy, while Lustig is doubtful for Sweden. Both might miss from Italy and Sweden’s lineups.

Italy: Buffon – Barzagli, Bonucci, Chiellini – Florenzi, Motta, Giaccherini, Candreva, de Sciglio – Eder, Zaza

Sweden: Isaksson – Johansson, Lindelof, Granqvist, Olsson – Larsson, Kallstrom, Ekdal, Forsberg – Guidetti, Ibrahimovic

After beating Belgium, Italy has no reason to risk anything here. They`d like to win, of course, but a draw wouldn`t be a problem and I expect them to be very cautious and patient, with the main objective being staying safe at the back.

As for Sweden, they are an organized, disciplined team, hard to defeat. They know they are underdogs here and will clearly approach the game in a defensive manner. Sure, Sweden might need to win this in order to qualify, but that certainly does not mean they will force things from the start against a brilliant counterattacking team like Italy – actually it might mean quite the opposite.

Considering the DNA of these two sides, their pragmatism and defensive prowess, but also the circumstances, I believe it`s fair to expect a tight, boring game. I can see it starting slowly, with not much action in the first part of the game. I don`t think anybody will score until half time, unless somebody gets lucky. As such, my tip is a 0-0 result at half time and I would not be shocked if that will be the final result as well. Prediction: Italy – Sweden 0-0.

Pick: Half time result 0:0
Odds: 2.50 @ William Hill
Stake: 5
Possible profit: 7.50
Event date: 17 June