2008 Euro qualifying Group F match previews: Sweden vs Denmark, Latvia vs N. Ireland, & Iceland vs Spain
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by Foolsgold
Sweden vs Denmark, 1430 EST Råsunda - Solna
Despite a game-in-hand, the Danes are desperate for a win as they travel to Solna to take on the group-leading Swedes. This is of course a rematch of the June 2nd fixture, when a fan came on the field and attacked the ref, costing Denmark the match and potentially three points. Even a draw for Denmark would keep their hopes alive as they play four of their remaining five matches at home.
Meanwhile, a win for Sweden would all but assure them advancement. Lead by the enigmatic one, Zlatan Ibrahimović, they have a relative healthy side and we could even see the return of captain Fredrik Ljungberg. Also after suffering through a six game winless streak they've rebounded with three straight wins.
It's pretty clear what Denmark has to do here, come out with all guns blazing, though it's hard to say whether they have the arsenal to penetrate the Swedish side. We also don't know which side will show up, the one that beat Germany 1-0 in a friendly in late March and won at Latvia 2-0 in a Group stage match June 6th or the one that got destroyed 4-0 by the Irish in a recent friendly.
Sweden's current form versus the US wasn't very impressive either and they're definitely going to need a better effort to score against the Denmark defense which recalled 36-year-old veteran Thomas Helveg to ensure against such an occurrence. Honestly, I don't see either side doing much on attack so I'll take the draw, 1-1.
Latvia vs. Northern Ireland, 1215 EST Skonto - Riga
Northern Ireland has easily been the biggest surprise so far in Euro-qualifying. In fact, if they hadn't have lost to second last place Iceland in their first group match, they'd be at the top with 19 points. Unfortunately for them, their schedule gets exponentially more difficult as they have to travel to Iceland, to Sweden, to Spain and have a home date with Denmark. In other words, this is a must-win match for them as I could conceivably see them taking only four points from their remaining fixtures.
Last place Latvia, despite having played one less match than everyone else in their group, will need to win all of their remaining matches just to have a shot at qualifying and even then, they still might not. The thing about this match though, is that the tables are turned. Usually Northern Ireland goes into a match being underestimated but this time I can see the Green & White Army mentally unprepared and in turn losing 1-2.
Iceland vs. Spain, 1600 EST Laugardalsvöllur - Reykjavik
Talent-wise, Spain is the best squad in this tournament. Nobody has the likes of Cesc Fabregas, David Silva, and Fernando Torres to choose from and that doesn't even begin to break the surface of the amount of talent Spain boss Luis Aragones has at his fingertips. They currently sit third in the group, a point behind Northern Ireland, but a win here will increase their advancement chances immensely as they still have home ties against Latvia, Sweden, and Northern Ireland ahead of them.
Let's face it, even though Iceland is at home, they are no match for Spain. Of course, under Aragones, the Spaniards haven't exactly been impressive. Even so, I just can't see Iceland winning this or even managing a draw, Spain is just too talented and will be ready to take three points back with them. Spain 2-0.
Originally posted here
