Football General Manager
- England gearing up to face Sweden
- Lionesses wary of the Swedish threat
- Wiegman confident ahead of last-eight clash
Following a 2-1 loss to France in their opening Group D match, the Lionesses responded with emphatic victories over the Netherlands and Wales, securing second place in the group and a ticket to the knockout rounds. Sweden sailed through the group stage with three straight victories, as the Scandinavians triumphed over Poland, Denmark, and, most notably, against a resurgent German side.
With established stars like Stina Blackstenius and Kosovare Asllani leading the charge, Sweden now turn their focus to dethroning the current European champions. The fixture also offers them a chance to right the wrongs of their 2022 semi-final exit at the hands of the Lionesses.
Wiegman, who guided England to their historic Euro 2022 title and a World Cup final in 2023, knows the magnitude of the challenge ahead. While Sweden’s consistent group-stage performances have caught attention, she believes England’s recent turnaround has created crucial momentum.
“I expect a very competitive game where it is hard to predict the outcome,” she said. “They have had a very good group stage with the three wins they had. But I think we are in a very good place and we are ready to go, so I hope we can show that tomorrow.”
Defender Lucy Bronze, a veteran of England’s backline, believes the squad has grown stronger and insisted that the loss to France served as a wake-up call, sparking unity and improved performances.
Bronze said: “Coming from the French game, it has brought the team a lot closer together and you saw that in the two performances that came from that. We are not focused on the noises around other teams or us, we are only focused on what we do on the training pitch and what we do in-game.”
While England are chasing back-to-back European titles, Sweden’s motivation is driven in part by unfinished business. Their crushing 4-0 semi-final defeat to England in Euro 2022 still lingers, and key figures in their squad must have spoken about using that disappointment as fuel to make amends on Thursday night in Zurich.
