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[monks data]
Denmark national football team
European Championship | Playoffs
Nov 17, 2015 at 7.45pm UK
 
Sweden national football team

2-2

Poulsen (81'), Vestergaard (91')
FT(HT: 0-1)
Ibrahimovic (19', 76')

Preview: Denmark vs. Sweden

Sports Mole looks ahead to the second leg of the Euro 2016 qualifier between Scandinavian rivals Denmark and Sweden.

Denmark will be looking to overturn a 2-1 deficit when they host rivals Sweden in the second leg of their Euro 2016 playoff on Tuesday evening.

The Scandinavian neighbours will go head to head at the Parken Stadium in Copenhagen for a place in the finals of next summer's tournament in France, with Sweden holding a slender advantage after they won the first meeting on Friday.


Denmark

Denmark's football team manager Morten Olsen attends a press conference at Wembley Stadium in London on March 4, 2014© Getty Images

Denmark, who won the European Championships in 1992, will have to pull off a memorable performance if they are to make it to the finals again next summer.

They looked to be in trouble on Friday after Emil Forsberg and Zlatan Ibrahimovic put Sweden 2-0 ahead in the first leg in Stockholm, but a late away goal from Nicolai Jorgensen has given them hope ahead of the return game.

Denmark head coach Morten Olsen has stated that he is looking to end hіs 16-year reіgn іn charge іn style by leadіng hіs country to another major tournament.

The 66-year-old has guided the Danes to four tournaments during his time at the helm - the 2002 World Cup, Euro 2004, World Cup 2010 and the last European Championships in 2012.

Denmark, who finished behind Portugal and Albania in qualifying Group I, won two, drew two and lost one of their five home qualifiers and will be confident of wiping out Sweden's lead.

They do have positive memories of taking on the Swedes in qualifiers, having beaten them twice on their way to reaching the World Cup finals in 2010.

Recent form: DDLLL


Sweden

Sweden's coach Erik Hamren gestures to the crowd at the end of the FIFA 2014 World Cup qualifier play-off first leg football match Portugal vs Sweden at the Luz stadium in Lisbon on November 15, 2013© Getty Images

Sweden were the better side for the majority of the first leg and will be ruing the fact that they allowed the Danes to reduce the 2-0 lead that they had built up.

Erik Hamren's side had the chances to extend their lead further, most notably through Marcus Berg, but a combination of wasteful finishing and good saves from Denmark goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel kept the score down.

Sweden have reached all of the previous four European Championships, with their last failure to qualify being for the 1996 competition in England, and they will be looking to make it five in a row by avoiding defeat to Denmark.

The Swedes come into the match in better form than their opponents, having won their last three competitive fixtures on the bounce, while Denmark have lost the last three.

The last time they met their rivals in European Championship qualifying, it was a set of memorable fixtures for the Swedes, for good and bad reasons.

In June 2007, their match in Copenhagen was abandoned after a Danish supporter ran onto the pitch and attacked referee Herbert Fandel, who had awarded Sweden a penalty in the 89th minute of the match, with Denmark leading 3-2, and sent off their midfielder Christian Poulsen for punching Swedish striker Markus Rosenberg in the stomach.

Sweden were awarded a 3-0 victory, while the two teams met for the return match September 2007 in Stockholm, which ended in a 0–0 draw. Sweden eventually qualified for the championships, while Denmark finished fourth in the group and were eliminated.

Recent form: LLWWW


Team News

Sweden 9 Kim Kallstrom and Sweden 5 Martin Olsson against Denmark 8 Martin C. Braithwaite during a European Qualifier Play-Off between Sweden and Denmark on November 14, 2015 in Solna, Sweden.© Getty Images

Denmark will be without Pione Sisto, who has sustained a groin injury, while Leon Andreasen is also unavailable after cutting himself opening a parcel.

Nicklas Bendtner and Martin Braithwaite were not at their best in the first leg but they are expected to remain in the side. Denmark improved once Yussuf Poulsen came off the bench in Stockholm and the young winger could well be handed a start following his impressive cameo.

Sweden's Mikael Antonsson will be out for the second leg after picking up a groin injury in the first match, with Besіktas defender Alexander Mіlosevіc likely to replace him.

Kim Kallstrom overcame illness and Oscar Lewicki overcame concussion to start on Friday, and the pair could retain their places in Copenhagen.

Denmark possible starting lineup:
Schmeichel; Durmisi, Agger, Kjaer, Jacobsen; Kvist; Fischer, Eriksen, Jorgensen, Braithwaite; Bendtner

Sweden possible starting lineup:
Isaksson; Olsson, Milosevic, Granqvist, Lustig, Forsberg, Kallstrom, Lewicki, Durmaz; Berg, Ibrahimovic


Head To Head

Denmark and Sweden have a long-standing rivalry that stretches back to their first meeting in 1913.

In the 103 matches that they have played, Sweden have enjoyed the better record, winning 45 times to Denmark's 40, with 18 draws.

Denmark have had the better of it when they have met in World Cup qualifiers, winning both times, but Sweden have come out on top in European Championship qualifiers with three wins and two draws, including Friday's success in the first leg.

Denmark have the edge on home soil, winning 23 times while Sweden have triumphed on 18 occasions.


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We say: Denmark 1-1 Sweden

Denmark will be confident that they can overturn the one-goal advantage that Sweden hold coming into this one, especially with the attacking talents of Christian Eriksen, Bendtner and Braithwaite at their disposal.

However, the Swedes are a resilient side and also pose a goal threat through talisman Ibrahimovic, so they should have enough to claim a result in Copenhagen and with it a place in the finals.



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Written by
Steven Toplis
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Swedens forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic (R) vies with Liechtensteins defenders Sandro Wieser and Yves Oehri during the Euro 2016 Group G qualifying football match between Liechtenstein and Sweden at the Rheinpark stadium in Vaduz on October 9, 2015.
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