Despite Arshavin being suspended for two competitive games which would mean at the earliest he would only feature against Sweden in Russia’s final group game, Hiddink made the dubious decision of picking him in his final 23-man squad knowing that if the chance came along, Arshavin could provide the magic that would take them through to the next stage and so it inevitably proved. The self-belief injected into the Russians by Guus Hiddink with the return of Arshavin meant that perhaps they took a psychological edge into the game despite Sweden only needing a draw to progress whilst Russia had to claim the three points to advance to the quarter-finals. A team set up by the great Dutchman in this kind of situation was likely to be well-organised and attacking. The full-backs Aniukov and Zhirkov penetrated the Swedish defence on numerous occasions making forward darts to support the midfield and attack. Sergey Semak sat in front of the back four to allow Semshov and Zyryanov to collect through balls from the floating Arshavin and Sweden had no answer to the barrage of creativity. Daniel Andersson did his best to distrupt play in the centre of midfield but Arshavin in particular was too difficult to pick up so this allowed more opportunities to be constructed. In contrast to Russia’s eager full backs, Sweden’s Fredrik Stoor and Mikael Nilsson rarely ventured into the Russia half, concerned more with keeping it tight at the back. Elmander showed promise down the right hand side of midfield for Sweden but to no avail. From the look of both coaches starting line-ups, it was likely to be a compelling game with Hiddink looking to outwit his counterpart Lars Lagerback and pip Sweden to the final place in the quarter-finals.

The Russians started like a house on fire with Arshavin spraying balls around for Pavlyuchenko to chase. His vision already seemed to look a problem for the Swedes to overcome. If they could keep him quiet then they could control the game and feed the indifferent Ibrahimovic and willing Henrik Larsson. Within the first ten minutes Russia had set their stall out and were looking the more likely to break the deadlock with wave after wave of attacks. It seemed that only their own men would stop them scoring as the Russians queued up to find the net only to be denied by a colleague in the process-this happening in the 8th minute when Zyryanov and Aniukov got in each other’s when one seemed certain to put the ball past Isaksson. The Russians were building up a head of steam but Sweden’s wayward defending also contributed to the Russian dominance. Mikael Nilsson was twice casual with his short passes-first giving away the ball in a decent position on the half way line and then playing the ball out for a corner, much to the disgust of Isaksson. From the resulting corner Arshavin should have done better with a free header that flashed wide.

The shining light throughout the game for Sweden was the Toulouse striker Johan Elmander. His shot in the 20th minute provided Sweden with their only worthwhile chance of the match thus far but with the left-back Zhirkov often supporting attacks for Russia, Sweden were likely to get joy down the right hand side with Elmander perfectly capable of exploiting gaps in the Russia defence with his own shooting prowess or the opportunity to play balls through to Ibrahimovic and Larsson. However Ibrahimovic was not looking at his best and too many times his first touch let him down. He was not looking as enthusiastic as in the previous two games for Sweden when he was a constant threat. Without him in the second half of the Spain game they looked harmless but he looked a shadow of himself in the first half and was not having as much of an influence on the game as the Swedish would have hoped.

Russia’s pressure finally paid off in the 24th minute with inter-linking passes creating the space for Pavlyuchenko to slot the ball past Isaksson giving them a deserved lead. Sweden had to attack and almost had the perfect reply with Larsson’s predatory instincts finding enough space to head the ball onto the Russian crossbar with Akinfeev beaten. Hiddink knew that Sweden were still a dangerous threat. He urged his team forward to find a second significant goal. If Russia were to sit on their one goal advantage this could allow Sweden to hit them on the counter attack and salvage a draw which would take them through so it was in their best interests to try and find a second. Russia were looking relentless with more opportunities being spurned. First Pavlyuchenko hit the post then pulled a fine stop out of Isaksson at full stretch within a matter of seconds. Zhirkov then hit a volley inches wide of goal straight from a corner. Overall Russia were looking keener to close balls down and were showing more team ethic.

Sweden had two chances to grab an equaliser just before half-time to change the momentum of the game as they appeared to be in danger of being completly over-run by Hiddink’s men. The direct approach had not worked so far for the Swedes so they reverted to intricate passing and this almost broke down the Russians. Link-up between Ibrahimovic and Nilsson created Ljungberg with a chance to rattle Russia but his shot was handled well by Akinfeev. As with Zhirkov on the left for Russia, Anuikov was leaving space for Ljungberg and Nilsson to conjure a goal and after fortunate deflections the ball sat up nicely for Nilsson but Akinfeev once again thwarted the Swedish attack with a smart stop to his right. Russia had survived a late first half onslaught from Sweden and went in at the break 1-0 up but they knew that more opportunities would arise for them to seal their place in the quarter-finals.

The Russians continued their free reign of proceedings at the start of the second half. A clear indication of the amount of energy that Russia were using with purpose and endeavour to unsettle the Swedish defence was with the haphazardness at times of Olof Mellberg. Mellberg had looked commanding at the back in his country’s opening two games but looked shaky with the inventiveness of the Russian forward line. The first real mistake of the newly-signed Juventus man was to head the ball out of play for a corner without seemingly being under any pressure at all. The shape of the Swedish defence was becoming erratic and this led to further momentum for the Russians, eventually leading to the second goal although the creativeness of the build-up play between Zhirkov, the goalscorer Arshavin and Semshov left Lagerback’s men with no hope as Arshavin swept the ball past Isaksson. In fairness it could have been 3 or 4 by this point as Sweden had no reply to the Russian surge. Hiddink knew that he was close to once again conquering the group stages of a major tournament.

Lagerback’s retort to the second goal was to bring on Lyon’s playmaker Kim Kallstrom. The decision to pick Svensson ahead of Kallstrom in the starting line-up for all three of Sweden’s Euro 2008 games may have puzzled many followers of Le Championnat as Kallstrom has been brilliant for Lyon yet again this season and perhaps has a more resourceful style of play from both open play and dead ball situations than Svensson who himself is an excellent player but not in the same class as Kallstrom. Central defender Petter Hansson was thrown up field to add an extra dimension to Sweden’s attack as they searched in vain for a goal. They managed to squander two decent moves- Mellberg had a free header which was put over the bar and Ibrahimovic wasted a free-kick in a good position on the edge of the Russian box.

Now the centre-back Hansson was thrown upfield this gave Russia licence to attack. Arshavin was still tormenting the Swedes at the back and almost forced an own goal from Stoor after having looked to have been fouled by the young right-back when in on goal. Zyryanov also hit the post with a deflected shot with Isaksson beaten to almost certainly make it three. The usual combination of Pavlyuchenko and Arshavin almost broke down the Swedes again but Pavlyunchenko wasted two more great chances- a header and a rushed shot. Pavlyuchenko could be putting pressure on David Villa at the top of the Euro 2008 goal-scoring charts had he taken more of the chances that were afforded to him in any of his nation’s three group games.

Out-of favour striker Marcus Allback was given the last 10 minutes to try and rescue the game but his efforts along with the rest of the 4-man pronged attack were ineffective. Even at the final whistle Russia were intent on scoring more goals with despite them being the team ahead and going through, were reluctant to sit on their two goal advantage. The end tally of 22 shots to Russia told the story of their dominance but Sweden were unlucky to go out having played some neat football during the game. They had just come across a team that had hit form at the right time in the Russians. Hiddink’s reaction after the game suggested that there could be a lot more to come from the team before the tournament is over. “This is a huge win for a side still under construction with lots of young players and some experienced players,” he said. “It gives me real pleasure to work with them.

For many of the Swedish players such as Henrik Larsson who is unlikely to return to the national side for a fourth time, this will be their last major tournament. Lagerback’s reaction to their exit was of defiance “A new generation is coming through,” said Lagerback. “We had a number of younger players in this squad, but it’s about picking the best players regardless of their age. They will undoubtedly have to blood some new youngsters if they are going to succeed at the World Cup in South Africa in 2010 as they simply cannot survive playing the counter-attacking style that they showed during the tournament as nations such as Russia who play with real verve and energy will exploit them so the next qualification period will be a re-building exercise for Sweden.

Hiddink will now look forward to a clash against his home nation Holland in the quarter-finals on Saturday and on this form they can give the Dutch a real run for their money. Russia have still got a lot to offer Euro 2008 with the opportunity to surpass Hiddink’s other great achievements at major championships and win the tournament thus leaving Hiddink with a smile on his face at the very end.

Russia were good value for their 1-0 win against Greece last Saturday and will be hoping that they have picked up form at the right time, after their wayward performance against Spain, to stun the Swedes and progress to the knockout stages of the competition. Coach Guus Hiddink is looking for the same resolve shown in the Greek victory but fears for his ‘inexperienced’ team. Russia’s squad has an average age of just 26 and is the youngest in the tournament compared with the Swedes who at an average age of just 29 years per player make them the most experienced. Players such as Anders Svensson and Olof Mellberg who make up the first-team, are veterans with vast big competition experience. Russia will lose out if the game becomes a scrappy affair as many of Sweden’s men will have been in that situation before and will know what is needed for their team to succeed and advance to the quarter-finals. No-one doubts the pedigree of the coach Guus Hiddink but its if he can pass on all his own big-match tenacity to his players in such a cauldron of an atmosphere. For Sweden it is a must-not-lose game as a draw will be enough for them to progress but for Russia its win or bust as their goals against column is a worse state than Sweden’s having lost 4-1 to Spain whilst Sweden only lost to an injury-time effort from David Villa. Hiddink will be hoping to stress the importance of keeping it tight at the back and not giving Sweden any opportunties from which to break from as these are where Sweden are most prolific. Even against Spain, Sweden showed they can mix it up with anyone with their laid-back style of play so the Russians should be very weary.

Sweden have only one injury concern before the clash with Zlatan Ibrahimovic still struggling with a swollen knee. Marcus Rosenberg may be called upon again in the second half of the game if Lagerback goes with Johan Elmander at right midfield again as he did against Spain but this is unlikely with the game being of such importance. Sweden may therefore stick to Kim Kallstrom in the midfield for creativity and experience. Ageing frontman Marcus Allback will also be looking for a small role in the game having not featured in either of Sweden’s opening two games. Allback is still a deadly finisher having scored 30 goals in 73 caps, an excellent strike-rate for such a bit-part player. Lagerback is optimistic for tonight’s clash but has concerns because of the obvious threat of Andrei Arshavin in central midfield. “We know Andrei Arshavin and I have no doubts he will strengthen Russia’s attack, but we haven’t decided how we will neutralize him yet.” This role may be given to holding midfielder Daniel Andersson who has looked assured in Sweden’s prior two matches against Karagounis of Greece and Xavi and Iniesta of Spain so could be the perfect candidate to prevent Arshavin from taking the game by the scruff of the neck. The Swedish defence has been solid throughout Euro 2008 with Stoor finding his feet well at right back against Spain, deputising for the injured Niclas Alexandersson who could return tonight having rejoined full training on Sunday.

Another undeniable plus-point for the Swedes is the energy provided by the evergreen Henrik Larsson. His eye for goal may perhaps be waning a little with passes in the opposition penalty area against Greece when a shot would have been the better option for such a distinguished goalscorer but Larsson is that type of player with team ethic his main objective. His link-up with Ibrahimovic in Salzburg eight days ago against Greece and in the opening half of their game against Spain suggested that they can have the final say on which way this nerve-wracking Group D clash will go. With the winner of the group already decided and Greece assured of their flight home after a shocking defence of the European championship after winning it in such outstanding circumstances in Portugal in 2004, all eyes will be on Basel tonight. This match is likely to be a really close affair with only perhaps a a mistake to settle proceedings. If Sweden control the midfield and play as a counter-attacking unit then they will triumph but if Russia can maintain their pace of play and force a a slower tempo upon Sweden leaving Arshavin, if selected, to control the game then Russia will become favourites. No doubt however that Sweden hold the more talent overall with players such as Freddie Ljungberg and Zlatan Ibrahimovic flourishing at Euro 2008 after injury-hit seasons for their clubs. The deciding factor is the defences and Sweden’s has looked imperious at times with only minor lapses of concentration such as Peter Hansson in the last seconds of the Spain game allowing Villa to tuck the ball home so this may give Russia comfort that although Sweden are defensively strong they may not have the attentiveness to see out the game in a healthy position. A point against Spain would have kept the whole group alive and Sweden would have been very satisfied with that but surrendered it right at the death and left the initiative with Spain, putting the pressure back on themselves to gain at least a point against Russia.

Mikael Nilsson will win his 5oth cap if he continues at left-back and with many of their players with over 50 caps to their name and their defensive capabilities, Sweden may shave it in the end, grinding out a close-run victory.

PREDICTION: SWEDEN 1-0 RUSSIA

Besides the scintillating Torres and Villa up front for Spain, who always posed a threat to a solid Sweden defence marshaled by Olof Mellberg the game overall largely lacked quality. Again Sweden attempted to employ their counter-attacking prowess which they use so effectively but with little reward. Johan Elmander was a surprise starter for the Swedes on the right hand side of midfield with Christian Wilhelmsson sidelined for the rest of the tournament. Fredrik Stoor also replaced the veteran Niclas Alexandersson at right back to give the Swedes an attacking edge. Stoor looked assured throughout the entire game despite being tested several times by the pace of Torres and Villa and on the whole dealt with it well.

The main talking point of a uneventful game came on the stroke of half time when Silva seemed to be bundled over in the penalty area by Johan Elmander. It looked to be a striker’s challenge with the penalty being the obvious decision but referee Pieter Vink demanded play to continue. The Spanish players were clearly incensed by the decision and many of them surrounded him to air their frustrations after the half time whistle had gone. Vink may be familiar to fans of Arsenal and Liverpool after failing to award a penalty to Arsenal in the Champions League quarter-final last season for a foul on Alexander Hleb by Dirk Kuyt. Yet again he seemed to have got the big decision wrong. Spain perhaps got their just rewards for a poor decision from Vink by scoring a late goal although Sweden did not deserve to lose as they produced much of the game’s best plays. If Elmander had been on top form Sweden could have equalised straight from the restart after Torres’ well worked goal from the quick thinking of Silva. The game was full of hit and miss moments-Marcos Senna and the Swedish centre midfield of Anders Svensson and Daniel Andersson were industrious for their sides allowing plays to form and also subside. Also almost crucially Ibrahimovic’s goal could have been dealt with better by Iker Casillas in the Spanish goal with the ball trickling under his arm and Spain could have rued this but for the individual brilliance of David Villa. Before the tournament his value was close to £20 million. On what he has shown so far in Euro 2008 (scoring 4 goals in Spain’s opening two games) his value will have sky-rocketed with Rafael Benitez on the phone to the consortium of Hicks/Gillett demanding £25 million + for the striker to team him up with Torres at Anfield next season to help them break that unwanted record of 18 years without a league championship in the trophy cabinet for England’s most decorated club.

Again the link-up play from Ibrahimovic and Larsson was efficient but Sweden lacked a spark after the break with Ibrahimovic going off at half-time still suffering from a swollen knee which has plagued him for the remainder of the season. Somehow Lagerback may have thought that he would need his enigmatic forward in the final group game against Russia with a win for the Swedes guaranteeing them through to the knock-stages to face the in-form Dutch. Sweden can altogether be happy with their performance on the day and but for that lack of concentration at the back in stoppage time would have grabbed an unlikely point.

Spain are likely to be unchanged from the team that comprehensively beat Russia  four days ag. The Torres/Villa partnership will look to exploit the againg legs of Olof Mellberg with their pace. Torres’ disagreement from the last game when he seemed to ingore the hand of coach Luis Aragones when he was substituted looks to have been settled so the mood in camp should be hungry for the task of Sweden today. Holland have set the bar for performances with another outstanding effort last night against the French so Spain will look to better that as they did against Russia.

Prediction: Sweden to battle hard but Spain to be too strong for them. Sweden could give Puyol and co. some trouble at the back with the link=up but they should have the measure of an experienced side: SWEDEN 1-3 SPAIN

Prior to kick-off, the sea of yellow supporters behind the goal defended by Antonios Nikopolidis in the first half were in vociferous mood as were the Greek followers. The fans of both teams were perhaps surprised by selections by their two coaches. For Sweden there was no Lyon midfielder Kim Kallstrom who was relegated to the bench with a central midfield pairing of Anders Svensson and Daniel Andersson, complimented by Christian Wilhelmsson and West Ham United attacking threat, Freddie Ljungberg on the wings. The fact that Tobias Linderoth was also not involved in central midfield could have suggested that Sweden were perhaps looking to be more offensive to combat the Greeks often unhurried style of play. The coach Lars Lagerback had also gone with experience at the back with 36 year-old Niclas Alexandersson being preferred to Fredrik Stoor at right back. Up front there were no surprises with Sweden’s main man Zlatan Ibrahimovic being partnered by the returning Henrik Larsson. Sweden were therefore always going to be a threat aerially and technically for the sturdy Greek defence.

Greece coach Otto Rehhagel had decided to also tinker with his team for the country’s opening group game, playing the three centre backs of Dellas, Kyrgiakos and Antzas, with width being provided by potentially attacking wing-backs, Giourkas Seitaridis, one of Greece’s most exciting players from Euro 2004 and Vassilis Torosidis. Greece’s star man Giorgios Karagounis was made to play on the left of a 5 man midfield which was perhaps the downfall of the Greeks as his presence was sorely missed in central midfield. Feyenoord striker Angelos Charisteas was playing deeper but still able to support lone front man Fanis Gekas on occasion. This was likely to be a cagey game from the set-up of both teams.

From the noise created by both sets of supporters during the national anthems, the neutral could have thought that the match would live up to the super-charged atmosphere before kick-off but sadly this never materialised despite an energetic first couple of minutes. The pace of the opening exchanges suggested that the game would be played at the same intensity being provided by both sets of supporters. Inside 60 seconds Charisteas had already picked up the first yellow card of the game with a hefty but mistimed challenge on Swedish Left-Back Peter Hansson. Also an obvious ploy from the Swedish defence was to try and find Ibrahimovic as often as possible with balls either into his feet or long balls for which he could hold up to allow the Swedish midfield to join in with attacks. The Greeks were well prepared for the threat of Ibrahimovic with Kyrgiakos tight to the Inter Milan forward from the outset. Similarly the Swedes were looking to neutralise the threat of Greece’s playmaker and talisman Giorgios Karagounis and within the first 5 minutes there were three men around him whenever he tried to initiate an attack for the holders.

The urgency of the two teams gradually subsided and they began to feel each other with measured attacks. Sweden’s best opportunity in the first fifteen minutes came from the left foot of Anders Svensson. An onrushing Svensson connecting with the ball 25 yards from goal, sending the ball whizzing past Nikopolidis’ near post. At the other end, Charisteas was working tirelessly for Greece trying to create space and time for which to spark meaningful attacks. His energetic run and shot was the only sign of life for Greece in a drab twenty minutes for the holders. Gekas was looking frustrated up top on his own with Karagounis powerless to help with his involvement somewhat subdued caused by his appearance at left midfield. Rehhagel was going to have to rethink his formation if Greece were going to look like proper contenders for the tournament.

As European champions, Greece were less than impressive. Their style of goading the Swedes into retrieving the ball when Dellas and the rest of the Greek defence were casually playing the ball around at the back showed a lack of purpose and ingenuity. The whistles from the Swedish supporters and perhaps some of their own fans suggested that this is not how the holders of the tournament should defend their title-with an aspect of time-wasting and arrogance. After the game the coach Otto Rehhagel blamed a lack of passion from his team and it was hard to argue. When Greece would eventually release the ball it would come to nothing but a ball too long for Gekas to chase. Again in the 26th minute Charisteas was trying to create his own fortune forcing the Swedish defence into a mistake but Isaksson being alert to the danger.

Sweden were much more adventurous with the wingers Wilhelmsson and Ljungberg testing the Greek defence for pace. Wilhelmsson almost created a moment of magic after 37 minutes with a innovative back-heel to Henrik Larsson on the corner of the Greece box. With Larsson in on goal he decides to try and find Ibrahimovic instead and the chance was gone. After scoring well over 200 goals for Celtic in a 8-year period Larsson did not show a sign of his predatory instincts that he has been so famed for over the years and chances went astray. However the linkup play between Ibrahimovic and Larsson was positive and deserved more in an uninspiring first half. Angelos Basinas’ shot on half time was a reminder for Sweden of what the Greeks can create but Isaksson was equal to it.

The second half sparked a change for Greece. The ineffective Gekas was replaced by the more powerful Manchester City striker Georgios Samaras. Charisteas was pushed further forward to provide support for Samaras and somehow break down the Swedish defence which had been solid for the entire game. However the best chances were still falling to the Swedes. With Nikopolidis stranded off his goal line after a mix-up with Torosidis, Wilhelmsson found the ball at his feet with the goal at his mercy but his wayward lob only infuriated Ibrahimovic who was waiting for a cross in the middle for which he could capitalise on.

Karagounis was showing more purpose for Greece in the second half and twice almost pounced on a lapse in the Swedish defence, again being denied by Isaksson. The nearest Greece came to a goal was from an unlikely source-a header from Swedish Left-back Peter Hansson which just missed the far post with Isaksson at full-stretch. Greece were looking more likely to score the opening goal. Then a moment of magic from Ibrahimovic as he surged from the right touchline with the ball, played it into the feet of Henrik Larsson who returned it in front of Ibrahimovic to strike it into the top corner leaving Nicopolidis with no chance. It was Ibrahimovic’s first goal since October 2005 and it was worth the wait for the Swedish supporters. Zlatan was finally fulfilling his potential on the big stage and giving Lagerback something to smile about after being unable to break down the Greek defence despite their best efforts.

Rehhagel’s response was to send on a third striker Amanatidis to look for an equaliser which Greece barely deserved. They should have perhaps thought about keeping the defence tighter as in the 72nd minute after a mix-up in the Greek defence between Seitaridis and Kyrgiakos and a goal-line scramble Peter Hansson touched the ball over the line to make the three points safe for Sweden and put them on the radar of many top teams. Ibrahimovic was unlikely to last the 90 minutes and was replaced by Elmander with a few minutes to go. The one sour note for Sweden was the tournament-ending injury to Christian Wilhelmsson. Testing the pace of the Greek defence again, he pulled up suddenly on the touchline and will now miss the rest of the tournament. Despite the injury to Wilhelmsson the rest of the game was successfully negotiated and Sweden claimed a vital three points in the fight to reach the quarter finals behind Spain who will surely win the group on the display against the Russians although they have a tough game against Lagerback’s well-drilled Sweden team on Saturday. On this evidence Greece will not defend their crown for much longer unless they drastically improve and get Karagounis into the middle to support the front two but they will have a fight on especially as they have to play in-form Spain in the final game. Job done for Sweden and they now look forward to Torres and co. in Innsbruck on Saturday.

Euro 2008 kicks off tomorrow night in Salzburg for these two under-dog teams hoping to cause an upset and progress to the latter stages of the tournament. For Greece this would not be out of the ordinary as they famously knocked out France and hosts Portugal four years ago on their way to claiming an unluckily victory. Things haven’t gone to plan for the European Champions over the past four years however, and having failed to qualify for the World Cup in Germany in 2006, they will be out to prove a point that they can still hold their own against the bigs guns of International football.

In terms of qualifying for Euro 2008, Greece were statistically the most impressive team with the highest amount of points of any of the qualifiers (31). They qualified with two games to spare after a 1-0 win in Turkey, who had previously beaten Greece 4-1 in Athens, to make Turkey the only side to beat them in qualifying. Their top scorer over the campaign was Theofanis Gekas (5 goals), a little known striker across the whole of Europe although having had a huge impact in the Bundesliga over the past two seasons. He signed for Bochum in 2006 and fired 20 goals in 31 appearances for the relegated side, bagging him the Bundesliga Golden Boot (2006/7). Since then has moved to Bayer Leverkusen and scored 13 goals in all competitions so is going to be a handful for any defender.

Greece still have many of the heroes from the last European Championships hoping to prove that their strong team spirit that so emphatically proved effective four years ago, can again lead them to glory once more. Coming into Euro 2008 as holders, Greece’s name is still not one of the few that is being banded around as potential winners despite their heroics from the last campaign and this may suit the Greek team as they could quietly sneak through the group stages and end up knocking out a favourite for the tournament, culminating in success again. The form of Greece could depend on 4 key men.

• Talented right back Giourakis Seitaridis who was one of the only players from the Euro 2008 squad to find a big money move after their win, although this move was already agreed with Porto for £3M. Has since moved to Russia with Dynamo Moscow but struggled and returned to Western Europe with Atletico Madrid last summer.
• Midfield anchor man Angelos Basinas who stormed Euro 2004 in Portugal, scoring in the opening day win against the hosts and co-ordinating play for the Greeks to prosper off. Declared fit for Euro 2008 ten days ago after picking up a knock in a warm-up defeat against Hungary. His partnership with Giorgos Karagounis will be key for Greece.
• Playmaker Giorgos Karagounis is Greece’s most creative player, with experience from the Champions League with Benfica and the previous win in Lisbon four years ago. Now residing back in Greece with Panathanaikos after a 4 year absence, will be looking to have as great an impact as at Euro 2004 and the Greek team will rely on his partnership with Angelos Basinas in central midfield. Hopes to get to the final once more and get the chance to pull on the Greek shirt having missed out last time due to suspension.
• The aforementioned Theofanis Gekas is Greece’s main threat up front with Angleos Charisteas being put in the shadow by this new clinical striker. If both players are on form at the tournament, goals will not be a problem for the Greeks with Karagounis providing plenty of ammunition from midfield. Will be interesting to see how Gekas copes on a big stage for the first time.

Sweden have not had a dissimilar build-up from Greece for Euro 2008. Sweating on the fitness of key players weeks before the start of the tournament and a poor performance in their final warm up game against Ukraine, they will be out to prove that they have come to the boil at just the right time and have a few shocks in them to make it through to the knockout stages. Uproar in the Swedish camp will have put added pressure on the team to succeed after the calls from Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Sweden’s deadliest but most outspoken player to give leading roles to the younger players in the squad such as Sebastian Larsson and Fredrik Stoor. This was interpreted as a swipe at Swedish Captain Freddie Ljungberg who at 32 and often struggling with fitness could be one of the men replaced. The coach, Lars Lagerback has however dispelled these rumours “I know Zlatan significantly better than you. The way I understood it, he was only pushing two younger players that he thinks have made progress.” Sweden could have done without this bust-up with their national media this close to the opening game of their tournament and Greece may be able to capitalise on this unrest.

The Greek coach Otto Rehhagel has pinpointed Sweden’s strong team mentality and their physicality as the components for success and will have to combat the likely partnership of Inter Milan goal machine, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Veteran goalscorer Henrik Larsson. Rehhagel seems to gone with the same approach as Lagerback in terms that experience is the outstanding feature of the Greek squad, with many players from Euro 2004 regaining their places. Sweden’s defence could be exploited by pace as aging defender Olof Mellberg will fail to provide resistance to this although has a experienced footballing brain which can read any developing situation in advance. Physically Angelos Charisteas will have his work cut out with the presence of wily veteran Olof Mellberg and that will be an interesting battle to watch as will the central midfield scuffles of Tobias Linderoth and Giorgis Karagounis, and Angelos Basinas and Kim Kallstrom, looking to cancel out each others attacking dimensions. Former Sheffield United defender Traianos Dellas will also have his hands full with Zlatan Ibrahimovic and that is likely to be a titanic struggle at the back, with Dellas looking to avoid giving Ibrahimovic any opportunities to play his natural game. Despite not scoring a single goal in qualification for the tournamen, Ibrahimovic is still a valued member of the first eleven and can change a game in the blink of a eye, just as he has shown at Inter Milan this season.

There will be a packed house of 30,000 fans for this opener for both teams with a close atmosphere making for a supercharged tempo with the chance of a topsy-turvy game. Greece will be up for a repeat of four years ago and will start with high spirits. Sweden will be hoping their squad of experience can help them settle early in this opening encounter. Some of these Swedish players will most likely not be back on the big tournament stage again as they are in the autumn of their careers so this could be a successful swan song for a few of these players not least Henrik Larsson who having answered the call from coach Lars Lagerback to come out of International retirement for a third time will want to make sure it is a worthwhile decision.

PREDICTION:A lively game that will create many chances for both teams with a score draw a likely result. GREECE 2 SWEDEN 2.

Kim Kallstrom- Potentially a match-winner for Sweden, the Olympique Lyonnais midfielder is definitely one to watch at Euro 2008. In the same mould as players such as Steven Gerrard, this supremely gifted left-footer,with a good eye for goal looks to drive forward when ever possible to support attacks and can provide plenty of goals from midfield. Although still relatively young at 25, Kallstrom was first capped in 2001 against Finland and since then has played 55 times for Sweden scoring 7 goals. He moved to French football in 2003 when he signed for Rennes from BK Hacken and has gone from strength to strength, establishing himself as one of the top upcoming players in Europe. He has been a regular this season for Lyon in both Ligue 1 and the Champions League, only missing 1 game in ‘Le Championnat’ scoring 9 goals in all competitions. The 25-year old has attracted attention from several teams in the Premier League and has been linked with a move to Everton and Tottenham Hotspur so Euro 2008 is a chance for him to showcase his talent at the highest level and put himself at the top of many manager’s wish-lists in the summer across Europe.

The Rest of the Swedish Midfield- Kallstrom is also surrounded by experienced players in the Swedish midfield for the tournament. Out of the entire midfield this time around for Sweden, only Daniel Andersson, currently of Malmo has not played in the Premier League. One man that on his day can terrorise defences and create opportunities for the attack is the captain, 31 year- old Freddie Ljungberg. The former Arsenal man may have been blighted by injury from time to time but is a tricky player and having represented Sweden at the last 4 major tournaments , as well as having played for his country for a decade, he knows what its like to play in pressure situations. He has an exceptional first touch and his all-round game is still up there with the best although is perhaps losing a yard of pace as he gets older.
Tobias Linderoth is the holding man for the Swedish team and the player that will allow Kallstrom to roam just behind the 2 strikers Ibrahimovic and Elmander. His influence on the team is one of good passing and of breaking up attacks. A player similar to Thomas Gravesen in terms of ability to break up possession for the opposition and distribute the ball to his teammates. Although only making 40 appearances for Everton in 3 seasons he was effective when called upon and did his job well. He is unquestionably a vital cog in the Swedish team that allows them to play their style of football.
A player we perhaps only saw glimpses of his true potential during his short run in the Premier League and which led to a quick exit is Christian Wilhelmsson. After signing for Bolton Wanderers on loan in January he never really settled at the club and has moved onto Deportivo La Coruna in La Liga. Wilhelmsson is however an attractive footballer who can play on either flank and has the qualities a good winger should have e.g. pace, dribbling and crossing. A player that can make opportunities for strikers and make life difficult for defenders.

Sebastian Larsson also made an impact in the Premier League for Birmingham City, despite being relegated. Known for his free kick taking expertise he also has a fierce shot on him as shown when the Blues travelled down to White Hart Lane, scoring a 35 yarder. Has come of age since leaving Arsenal in 2006 and can provide a goal or two if required from midfield. A player that can have an impact on a game but lacks international and major tournament experience having only collected 3 caps so perhaps this is a learning curve for the 22 year-old.
The other midfielders such as Niclas Alexandersson, Daniel Andersson and Anders Svensson are good squad players, with heaps of experience that can open up a defence. An asset to the squad.

The forwards
Zlatan Ibrahimovic- No-one can question the undoubted talent that the Inter striker possesses but is often a temperamental player both for club and country. At times he can appear lazy and disinterested with the game and other times he looks like the best player in the world-thats what you get from Zlatan Ibrahimovic. He has had his fair share of spats with team-mates, managers and opposing players such as an incident in 2006 when he left the Sweden hotel after curfew, two nights before a Euro 2008 qualifier against Liechtenstein and was sent home by current manager Lars Lagerback for disregarding rules. Due to this he then refused to appear for the next couple of qualifiers.
Over 20 goals this year in Serie A for Inter Milan is a huge achievement in a league that prides itself on defending so Ibrahimovic is understandably hot property with Real Madrid being touted as potential investors of his services. Euro 2008 is a big tournament for Ibrahimovic and if he continues to find his feet in front of goal like he has done during this season then Sweden will pose a huge threat to any team in the tournament.

Henrik Larsson- Out of international retirement for the third time for Euro 2008 and will hope he can guide Sweden as fair as possible. One of the best strikers ever in Europe from his spell at Celtic, where he scored a phenomanal amount of goals and eventually at Barcelona where he won the Champions League. Can be used as an impact sub to combine the talents of Ibrahimovic with the attributes of Larsson in front of goal.

Johan Elmander-Toulouse striker who helped guide them into the Champions League last season although not past the group stages thanks to Liverpool. Has scored 11 goals in 32 games this season and has a good touch around the penalty area. Can form a prolific partnership with Ibrahimovic and can be a deadly threat.

The Manager-Lars Lagerback- Took over the sole coaching duties of Sweden in 2004 after being joint coach from 2000. Looks to have gone mainly with experience for Euro 2008 with many of the players having already experienced a major tournament and has done well to retrieve Henrik Larsson from international retirement for a third time and if the team can play to its full potential then the latter stages could await them.

“When I last retired, I didn’t think I’d be playing this long and that it would go this well, It will be tough to make the first team but I’ll do my best.”

Larsson has now said that he would like to continue playing for Sweden further than Euro 2008, which would include qualification for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, he would be 38 by the time the finals of that tournament comes around.

Sweden’s Preliminary Euro 2008 squad:

Isaksson (Man City), Wiland (Elfsborg), Shaaban (Hammarby)

Nilsson (Panathinaikos), Mellberg (Aston Villa), Majstorovic (Basle), Dorsin (CFR Cluj), Hansson (Rennes), Stoor (Rosenborg), Alexandersson (IFK Gothenburg)

Ljungberg (West Ham), S Larsson (Birmingham), Linderoth (Galatasaray), Svensson (Elfsborg), Granqvist (Helsingborg), Kallstrom (Lyon), Andersson (Malmo), Wilhelmsson (Deportivo de la Coruna);

H Larsson (Helsingborg), Ibrahimovic (Inter Milan), Elmander (Toulouse), Rosenberg (Werder Bremen), Allback (FC Copenhagen)

Reserve: Bakircioglu (Ajax).

Newcastle defender Steven Taylor inadvertently stamped on Ljungberg’s chest, and the midfieler went off in the 21st minute with a suspected cracked rib.

Set to be sidelined for three to four weeks, Ljungberg was out for the rest of the Premier League season, but desperate to play a full part for his country in Austria and Switzerland this summer.