England v Sweden - where the game will be won and lost

England v Sweden, Sunday June 2, 1030am - where the game will be won and lost.

History suggests that England and Sweden will be evenly-matched when they go head to head in Saitama on Sunday.

Not since May 1968, when the Swedes went down 3-1 at Wembley, have they lost a competitive game against the nation which stands between them and a winning start to the 2002 World Cup finals.

That run includes two 0-0 World Cup qualifier draws and, in the run-up to Euro 2000, a 2-1 win in Stockholm and another stalemate encounter at English football’s now defunct headquarters.

The Swedes have been quick to point to the superiority Sven-Goran Eriksson’s side possess in terms of the individuals who will line up on the pitch this weekend, but at the same time, they are confident that the sum of their constituent parts will be enough to cause England real problems.

Tommy Soderberg’s side base their game on solid defence, a fact which is illustrated by Aston Villa stopper Olof Mellberg’s role as a right full-back with Patrik Andersson and Celtic’s Johan Mjallby teaming up in the middle.

However, Michael Owen’s pace - and that of the relatively unknown Darius Vassell, should he figure - could cause them problems if the ball is played into the right channels for the England strikers to attack.

At the other end, England will need no extra warning of the threat posed by Henrik Larsson and Marcus Allback.

The pair scored 12 goals between them during the qualifying campaign, and Larsson’s seemingly unquenchable thirst will be a cause for genuine concern.

Eriksson’s back four effectively picks itself with Rio Ferdinand and Sol Campbell likely to line up in the middle and Ashley Cole and Wayne Bridge battling it out for the left-back spot while Danny Mills currently leads the race for the opposite berth.

There is undoubted talent in whichever quartet gets the nod, but Gary Neville will be a big miss and neither Cole nor Bridge have any depth of international experience.

However, it is perhaps in midfield where the game will ultimately be decided.

Steven Gerrard’s absence leaves a huge gap, but Manchester United duo Paul Scholes and the fit-again Nicky Butt seems a tailor-made central pairing while club-mate David Beckham is an automatic choice on the right, injury permitting.

The indications are that Emile Heskey will again be asked to line up on the left side of midfield with Kieron Dyer still battling against his knee injury, and that foursome is as yet untested.

The threat posed by Freddie Ljungberg down the Swedish left is one to which England, and particularly Beckham and Mills behind him, will have to pay a great deal of attention, but it is their effectiveness going forward which could determine the success or failure of England’s opening gambit.

Scholes thrives when he is able to link up with his frontmen, and that imposes a responsibility on Butt behind him to hold the fort.

But the onus will also be on Heskey and Beckham and provide some form of width to stretch the Swedish back four and create the space in which the England attack can prosper.