Each of the four teams in Sunday morning’s World Cup quarterfinals draw: England, Sweden, Russia, and Croatia, will believe their side of the draw is the more open and gives them the best opportunity to reach the World Cup final.
The quarterfinal matches begin with England versus Sweden. It could be a final determined by the key match-up of the two opposing captains who have led their countries by example thus far in the tournament.
For Sweden, centre back Andreas Granqvist will have the task of minding his opposite captain Harry Kane, who is currently the tournament’s leading scorer.
In a sense, the two reflect the way their countries have progressed through the tournament. The Swedes, who favour a 4-4-2 system, have conceded in just one of their four matches in the tournament; the loss to Germany in the group stage.
Apart from their opening group match against South Korea, Sweden has been content to allow its opponents the lion’s share of possession. The Swedes’ organised, disciplined defence has proven very difficult to break down. This will be England’s challenge. Columbia also played this way against England frustrating the English attack. Both England and Sweden play with two front men. For Sweden, Ola Toivonen partners former Panathinaikos forward Marcus Berg, however between the two, they have just the one goal in the tournament from Toivonen in the 1-2 loss against Germany.
England’s two front men, the prolific Kane and the free-roaming Raheem Sterling, lead a 3-5-2 system. Coach Gareth Southgate uses a back three and wing backs Trippier and Ashley Young or Rose, to cause overload in the wide areas and feed Kane with crosses in the box.
Defenders Stone and McGuire are very powerful in the air and good with the ball at their feet allowing England to build out from the back. The tireless Henderson screens the back three while Jess Lingard’s movement helps open up stubborn defences, something which could prove crucial against the tight Swedish defence.
Loftus Cheeks’ powerful driving forward runs also opens up space in behind defenders.
England may be forced into another penalty shoot-out by the Swedes. Jamie Vardy is England’s main injury concern going into the match.
In the later quarterfinal match on Sunday morning, host nation Russia, which has surprised everyone by getting out of the group stage, takes on the impressive Croatians.
The Croatians have great individual talent in every line, from keeper Subasic, defender Lovren, Spanish-based midfielders Rakitic and Modric, and big Juventus target man Mandzukic.
They have also been playing well as a team. The Russians, in contrast, while lacking the individual quality of the Croatians, have shown an immense fighting spirit to reach this stage of the competition. The players have shown immense reserves of energy, covering great distances in their matches. Uruguay exposed their weaknesses in the group stage, inflicting a heavy defeat and forcing coach Cherchesov to switch from a 4-2-3-1 to a 3-4-2-1, which favoured a tighter defensive bloc effectively blunting Spain’s attack.
For the game against Croatia, forward Denis Cheryshev and midfielder Gazinsky are both available again after missing against Spain, and the Russians may revert to a more attack-minded 4-2-3-1, aimed at creating more goal-scoring chances.