Sweden vs. Slovakia 6/18/21 Euro Cup 2021 Soccer Pick, Odds, and Prediction

Sweden and Slovakia are clashing at Gazprom Arena in round 2 of Group E in the Euro Cup 2021. Sweden has done extremely well in their first game, and they are now undefeated in their last 6 games. Slovakia has started this tournament with a nice win, and they are also undefeated in their last 6 games.

In their opening game in this tournament, Sweden has had extremely low 15% of ball possession, only 1 shot on goal, 1 corner kick, 2 big chances created, and only 55% of the correct passes. When you look at the stats, you would think Sweden has lost 5-0, when in fact they defended perfectly, they had a bit of luck, and this game has ended in a 0-0 draw. Svanberg and Kulusevski are both still injured, and they will not be in the lineup for this game. With this draw, Sweden is now in 3^rd place, but another tie will not be enough for them to get through the group stage. In their first game, Sweden has proved they can defend against the best, but now it’s the time to show something in the attacking end, and they will need it.

Slovakia is a solid team, and more importantly, they are in solid form. In their first game against Poland, Slovakia has had 43% of ball possession, 2 shots on goal, 2 corner kicks, 0 big chances created, and 82% of the correct passes. With an own goal from Poland, Slovakia got ahead in the 18^th minute, but at the start of the second half, Poland has tied the score. In the 62^nd minute, luck has smiled to Slovakia because Poland has conceded a red card, and in the 69^th minute, Slovakia has regained the lead. The final score of this match was 1-2 in favor of Slovakia. Skrinar is the only goalscorer for Slovakia in this tournament with only 1 goal, while Hamsik has 1 assist. Slovakia has had a solid defensive game against Poland, but they have let too many attacks go through their defense, and that is something they will need to fix. There are no suspensions in Slovakia at this time, but Schranz is still questionable for this match because of an injury. Slovakia is now at the top of their group, and with a point from this game, they will most likely go to the next stage, but it will be a very tough game for them.

Sweden and Slovakia have played 3 times against each other, and Sweden has won 1 game, while 2 games ended in a draw. We know Sweden is a good defensive team, but I think their tactic will change here because Slovakia is not as dominant as Spain is, and I think this will be a more open game. Sweden is yet to prove they can score goals, but I think they will score in this game because Slovakia’s defense still isn’t set.