Monday, June 14, 2021 – 03:00 PM EDT at La Cartuja Stadium
Spain kick off their Euro 2020 campaign on home soil in Seville, Luis Enrique’s team are the favorites to top group E, but will no doubt have an uphill battle if they don’t secure all 3 points in their opener as Poland should prove a stern test, Slovakia not so much. The big question is does Sweden have what it takes to win on Spanish Soil.
Both Spain and Sweden have had issues with Covid-19 in the runup to their opening game. Spanish captain Sergio Busquets and defender Diego Llorente will both miss this game due to contracting the virus, the same can be said for Swedish players Dejan Kulusevski and Mattias Svanberg.
Although Sweden have won their previous 5 games in the run up to the tournament, arguably the best team they beat in those 5 games was fellow Scandinavian side, Finland.
They have not won a match in Spain since 1988 and in the previous 12 months they have struggled to beat better opposition with losses to the likes of Portugal, France, and Denmark.
With both Sweden and Poland vying for the 2nd place spot in this group, a point for the Swedes in the opener would put some pressure on Poland to achieve a similar result when they face Spain, as both are expected to taste victory over minnows Slovakia.
We know Spain will look to keep possession of the football and Swedish goalscoring chances could be few and far between.
The match will take place in Sevilla’s stadium, Estadio de La Cartuja, which has been a happy hunting ground for the home side as of late as they beat Germany by a margin of six goals to nil back in November.
La Roja have failed to score in just one of their previous six games in this stadium and have also manged to get on the scoreboard in 11 of their 12 head to heads against Sweden.
The Spanish only conceded 3 goals in 6 games in their recent Nations League campaign, in a group that contained Germany, Switzerland and the Ukraine. Luis Enrique’s choice to leave
Spanish captain, Sergio Ramos out of the tournament squad was a controversial one, but they have a lot of strength in depth, and we believe they will get on just fine without him. There’s still plenty of leaders and standout players to get the job at hand done.
Spain will control this match from the get-go and Sweden’s best opportunity to score will most likely come from a set piece, counter attacks will be an option, but they will know their set piece ability should prove more dangerous.
Sweden will struggle to mount any true goalmouth challenge without Zlatan Ibrahimovic and now Juventus striker, Dejan Kulusevski.
We really cant see were Sweden’s goal will come from and should they manage to get one, Spain might just have two, maybe three up their sleeve as they beat Sweden 3-0 in their previous two home games.
We believe a 2-0 or 2-1 Spanish victory is on the cards here. With this scoreline in mind we believe the best bet to be Spain win and over 1.5 goals at odds of -115 with BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review) , alternatively you could bet Spain win and under 3.5 goals with the same bookie at EURO 2020 odds of -105. Although we think the first option is a little safer.
Euro 2020 Picks: Spain Win + O1.5 Goals at -115 with BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
We like the chances of some corners in this matchup, as one team attacking, and the other sitting deep usually aids us in getting some corners on the board. In the qualifications campaign Spain averaged 8.2 corners for and 2.7 against, whilst Sweden averaged 5 for and 5.10 against, meaning both teams averaged over 10 corners.
Take the over 8.5 corner line in this match at odds of -130 with the best online sportsbooks.
If looking for a player to get on the scoreboard, you really cant choose between Alvaro Morata, Gerard Moreno and Ferran Torres. It’s a line-up checker as all three are not guaranteed to start.
If Moreno starts, we would bet him to score anytime at EURO 2020 odds of +170, his strength might be what’s needed to break down this strong Swedish backline.
Euro 2020 Side Picks: Over 8.5 Corners at -130 with The Best Online Sportsbooks
Euro 2020 Side Picks: Moreno To Score Anytime at +170 with BetOnline
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.