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The second round of matches in Group E begins with Italy taking on Sweden on June 17th at the Stadium Municipal in Toulouse. This game will be followed by the second game in Group E on July 18th, Belgium versus Eire.
Italy come into this game after an impressive 2-0 win over Belgium, with Giaccherini and Pelle getting the goals. It was the typical Italian performance of stifling the opposition, and sure, they almost got caught out a few times trying to play it out from the back, but they kept the second best team in the world on FIFA rankings out, and put two goals past them, so there was a lot for Italian fans to be happy about, after coming into the tournament worried about their country’s form.
Sweden were lacklustre in the first half of their 11 draw against Eire, but in the second-half they come good and put the Irish under the thumb for long spells. Zlatan looked his lazy self for long spells, too, but also had some neat touches and, as you would expected, was involved in the equaliser.
Italy have faced Sweden 21 times, winning 9, losing 6 and drawing 6. Their last meeting was in a friendly in 2009, which Italy won 1-0. Prior to that, they met in Euro 2004, with the game ending in a 1-1 draw.
Italy vs Sweden Match Betting Odds:
Italy: 1.8, 4/5, -125
Sweden: 5.0, 4/1, +400
Draw: 3.4, 12/5, +240
Italy vs Sweden Match Betting Tips:
Sweden were really poor against Ireland, and you might think they can’t play that poorly again. But Zlatan, who is so vital to them, just didn’t look engaged most of the time, and if an Irish defence can keep him quiet, a well-disciplined Italian defence will do an even better job. Italy surprised me with just how well they played against Belgium, and they had some real attacking flair. Their price is far too big going on the first round of games, and I really do love Italy here. Italy to win is the bet for me every time, as it’s a price I was definitely not expecting.
Italy vs Sweden Prop Bets:
Sweden started slowly, while Italy came out of the gates flying. So if it plays out the same way, I expect Italy to punish this lazy-looking Swedish team. Italy HT-Italy FT for me here, as I expected more from Sweden, but they just failed to delivery against a pretty weak Ireland team. Italy have surprised me, they do have a bit of firepower up front, but more importantly, if they get an early goal, they’ll just keep Sweden out like they did to a much better Belgium team.
