SATURDAY, JULY 7, 2018 18

SWEDEN ENGLAND Nickname | Blagult (The Blue-Yellow) Nickname | The Three Lions will return to the starting England went all the way to penalties against XI after missing their 1-0 win over Switzerland Colombia on Tuesday night and through suspension, but now Sweden have lost Emil revealed after the match that several players were to a one-match ban. Forsberg dealing with injuries. Larsson is expected to regain his place in the Jamie Vardy required an injection after ex - team at the expense of , while tra-time that prevented him from taking a penalty is expected to deputise for Lustig. and he remains a serious doubt for today afternoon, Other than that, few changes are expected from while Ashley Young, Dele Alli and Kyle Walker also today. came off with knocks. Svensson could yet retain his place in mid- Southgate may look to bring in fresh legs for field as their World Cup quarter-final, with the likes of is a doubt with a foot injury, Harry Marcus Rashford, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Danny but their is an expectation he will be okay Kane Rose pushing for starts against Sweden. to start. Walker, Henderson, Lingard and Loftus-Cheek are all will also require a late one booking away from missing the semi-finals. fitness test due to a hip problem.

POSSIBLE LINE-UPS POSSIBLE LINE-UPS ; EMIL KRAFTH, VICTOR LINDELÖF, , LUDWIG AUGUSTINS- JORDAN PICKFORD; KYLE WALKER, JOHN STONES, HARRY MAGUIRE; KIERAN TRIPPIER, DELE, SON; , SEBASTIAN LARSSON, ALBIN EKDAL, ; , JORDAN HENDERSON, JESSE LINGARD, ASHLEY YOUNG; RAHEEM STERLING,

Confident Swedes relishing Factbox • Sweden have kept three clean England showdown in Samara FIFA World Cup 2018 sheets in four matches at the My feet are firmly Sweden v England 2018 World Cup, while England on the ground. I’ve AFP | Repino, Russia out, squeezing past Colombia in a Quarter-final, July 7 are the only team left in the tense and bad-tempered last-16 tie Samara competition yet to keep a clean been in football for nthused by an exciting young in . HEAD-TO-HEAD sheet at the 2018 World Cup. 30 years, and I’ve squad and a potentially kind “We’d like to bring it home,” said All-time meetings • England do not have a great had plenty of ups draw against Sweden in to- England defender John Stones on record against Sweden in com- and downs. That E Sweden 7 England 7 day’s quarter-final, England fans Thursday. “I’d love to win a World petitive matches, only winning night was a great are starting to believe they can end Cup, England would love to win a Coach Coach one of the last eight. Rest will a 52-year wait to win World Cup. World Cup. Janne Gareth night for all of us Andersson D9 Southgate be key for England after they but my focus was But the obdurate Scandinavians “It’s been a long time since we Captain Captain required penalties to beat Co- Andreas Harry pretty quickly onto have a habit of upsetting the odds, last won it. We want to make people Granqvist Kane lombia. Recent meetings particularly against England, hav- proud back home.” Best finish Best finish • This is arguably the best draw Sweden because we Final 2012 Sweden 4-2 England Winner ing lost just one of eight previous England, World Cup winners in 1958 2012 Sweden 2-3 England 1966 England could have hoped for are in the last eight competitive meetings. 1966, have already won over a pub- ROAD TO QUARTER-FINAL from the sides left in the 2018 of a World Cup Confidence in England is soaring lic disaffected by an early exit in W S. Korea 1-0 Match 1 W Tunisia 2-1 Group F Group G World Cup. They are so close to ENGLAND COACH GARETH after the team ended a long wait to Brazil four years ago and a shame- winner L Germany 1-2 Match 2 W Panama 6-1 runner-up a World Cup semi-final and have SOUTHGATE win a World Cup penalty shoot- ful defeat to Iceland at Euro 2016. W Mexico 3-0 Match 3 L Belgium 0-1 W Switzerland 1-0 Last 16 W Colombia 1-1 Pens 4-3 to take advantage. Player to watch Player to watch Emil Forsberg COMPETITION STATISTICS Harry Kane 6 Goals scored 9 48 Total shots 58 18 Shots on target 17 859 Passes completed 1898 15 Corners 24 38% Possession 54%

Samara Space Arena theme is Capacity: tribute to 45,000 region’s Clash of the risingcontribution heroes to aerospace development Source: FIFA Pictures: Getty ImagesSaturday July 7 Ficht Stadium© GRAPHIC NEWS 1800 GMT RUSSIA RUSSIA CROATIA CROATIA Artem Luka Nickname | Sbornaya (The National Team) Dzyuba Modric Nickname | Vatreni (The Blazers) Russia switched to a three-man defence against Spain but Aged 29 Aged 32 Ivan Strinic is a doubt for Croatia after being forced off may revert back to a 4-2-3-1 formation against Croatia, against Denmark with injury last time out. with Yuri Gazinskiy and returning to OF QUARTER-FINALISTS Croatia are expected to field their usual starting XI, the starting XI. meaning Mateo Kovacic and will have to was forced at half-time with an injury last settle for another place on the bench. time out and is a major doubt for today’s quarter-final. Ante Rebic, Ivan Rakitic, Marcelo Brozovic, Mario Man- GOALS Fedor Kudryashov could be called upon at left-back as 14 0 dzukic, , Sime Vrsaljko, Vedran Corluka and 12 1 a result. 10 2 are all one booking away from a one-match ban. 8 3 6 is available again after serving a one- WORLD CUP PERFORMANCESScored 4 4 5 POSSIBLE LINE-UPS 2 6 match ban against Spain last time out, but may have to Conceded 70 Classement FIFA SHOTS GAME Classement FIFA 20 80 DANIJEL SUBASIC; SIME VRSALJKO, , , IVAN STRINIC; IVAN RAKIT- 40 settle for a place on the bench against Croatia. 480 2 70 IC, MARCELO BROZOVIC, ANTE REBIC, LUKA MODRIC, IVAN PERISIC; MARIO MANDZUKIC RECORD 30 460 RECORD has not featured since Russia’s opening Attempted60 st Km covered* 1.5 st 50 440 1 round 20 1 round thousands group game but has returned to training and could be an 40 420 1

5 0 S. Arabia 10 0.7 2 0 Nigeria option for the hosts here. On target 400 Completed passes FOULS 3 1 Egypt 70 3 0 Argentina Factbox Fedor Smolov, Aleksandr Golovin, , Roman 40 60 50 Zobnin and Yuri Gazinskiy are all one booking away from 50 0 3 Uruguay Suffered 60 2 1 Iceland • Russia have performed beyond expectations this summer 40 a one-match suspension. 70 30 Zlatko and have a real chance to make the final after eliminating Coach Last 16 Committed Last 16 Dalic Stanislav 1 1 Spain 1 1 Denmark Coach Spain on penalties in the last round. POSSIBLE LINE-UPS Cherchesov 4 3 penalty shoot-out 3 2 penalty shoot-out • Standing in Russia’s way of a place in the last four is Cro- ; MARIO FERNANDES, ILYA KUTEPOV, SERGEY IGNASHEVICH, FEDOR KUDRYASH- WORLD CUP RECORD atia, who will be confident of spoiling the hosts’ party. Champion Finalist Participant Did not qualify OV; , DALER KUZYAEV; , ALEKSANDR GOLOVIN, DENIS 11th participation • Croatia have arguably been one of the most impressive CHERYSHEV; 1930 1934 1938 1950 1954 1958 1962 1966 1970 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 teams at the 2018 World Cup, but also required penalties in the last round. 5th participation Best result 3rd • Croatia have the better side on paper, but Russia have Source: federation, FIFA *Total of all players already shown that counts for nothing. Russia, Croatia look to emulate group stage mindset It’s important how Reuters | Sochi, Russia ics at both home and away with their frenzy. We have done our players perform, approach. Spain appeared bereft of ideas in front work on them. Against not where they play. roatia and Russia did just about Russia changed tactics to play five men of the opposition box, letting Russia get Denmark, we did not There was once was enough to emerge successful from in defence with a lone striker in Artem away with defending for almost the en- expect a time when almost Ctheir respective round of 16 match- Dzyuba against Spain in the round of 16 tire duration of the match. But the hosts to keep throwing all Russian national es but will need to replicate their group on Sunday, an approach that restricted might not be so lucky against the Balkan long-balls because he stage form and attacking mindset when their opponents to just one chance in 90 side today. team players played they clash in today’s World Cup quar- minutes. “We all understood that Spain will con- didn’t play in the last abroad, yet we ter-finals in Sochi. But Russia themselves also had just trol the ball, it happens in every match six matches. But he couldn’t achieve The hosts came into the tournament as one shot on target in two hours of foot- they play with any team,” Russia midfield- did and they scored. anything back then the lowest-ranked team but began with ball and needed two saves by their er Aleksandr Golovin said. We will be ready for RUSSIA COACH a bang by beating Saudi Arabia 5-0 and goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev in the penal- “We understood that. With the Croats Russia. I believe in my Egypt 3-1. They went down 3-0 to Group ty shootout to advance to the last eight we should play using our strong points, players A winners Uruguay but won over crit- and send the country into a soccer dictating our play.” CROATIA COACH ZLATKO DALIC