GERMANY v SWEDEN - MATCH PREVIEW
Andy Morgan

Germany - 1st, Group A
Group Statistics: W3 D0 L0 F8 A2 Pts9
Top Scorer: Miroslav Klose, 4 (50% of Germany's goals)
Clean Sheets: 2
Failed to Score: 0
Best World Cup record: Won 3 times, in 1954, 1974 and 1990.
2002 World Cup Record: Runners-up to Brazil
Overall World Cup statistics: Unavailable
Interesting Stat: Germany are the best disciplined team in the tournament so far, with only four bookings picked up in their three games.

Sweden - 2nd, Group B
Group Statistics: W1 D2 L0 F3 A2 Pts5
World Cup 2006 Top Scorers: Freddie Ljungberg, Marcus Allback, Henrik Larsson, 1 (33% of Sweden's goals each)
Clean Sheets: 2
Failed to Score: 1
Best World Cup record: Runners-up in 1958 to Brazil
2002 World Cup record: Second round, lost to Senegal
Overall World Cup statistics: World Cups 11, P45 W17 D12 L16 F74 A67
Interesting Stat: Two of the three goals Sweden have scored have been scored in the last five minutes of a match.

Germany go into this game in the unenviable position of having a fully-fit squad to choose from. Defender Christoph Metzelder has recovered from the knee injury that sidelined him for the 3-0 defeat of Ecuador and the Borussia Dortmund player is likely to be given the nod above Chelsea (and prospective Middlesbrough) centre-back Robert Huth. He will renew his defensive partnership therefore with Hannover 96's Per Mertesacker.

Defensively however they still look vulnerable and two clean sheets in the group stages should not inspire you with much confidence of them keeping shut-outs in the knock-out rounds. Ecuador rested half of their first-team players in the 3-0 defeat to the hosts whilst Poland rarely troubled the home defence with their poor attacking. It has only been Costa Rica that has challenged the German back-line and when they did the Germans were found to be wanting.

Against a classy Swedish outfit that contains Barcelona's Henrik Larsson and Marcus Allbeck, this is the first time the Germans have come against a world-class strikeforce. Both off the mark in their 2-2 draw against England on Tuesday, both will have a renewed sense of vigour going into this game.

With thirty-five and twenty-three goals in over a hundred collective apperances to their names Larsson and Allbeck possess the experience and ruthlessness in front of goal to trouble the German backline.

The major injury doubt for Sweden concerns another striker, Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Possessing the best goals-to-game ratio in the Swedish squad (eighteen in forty) his absence was felt against England and you cannot help but feel that had it not been for England's shambolic defending, the Swedes would probably have failed to register. He has been disappointing in the games in which he has played so far but the twenty-four year old will be determined to show the world what he can do. If he fails to shake off the groin injury he sustained last week then expect Allbeck to start ahead of him. With his goal against England however, the FC Copenhagen frontman has every right to feel agrieved if he is dropped ahead of the Croatian born player.

Sweden's two clean sheets meanwhile were kept against Trinidad and Tobago and Paraguay and they did concede two against England. Like Germany they only conceded two in qualifying but again like Germany this statistic is deceptive. Up against a striker as prolific as Miroslav Klose, who already has four goals in this tournament and twenty-six international goals to his name (at the tender age of twenty-seven), Sweden may struggle.

With German goals also coming from players in other positions such as midfielder Torsten Frings and the impressive right-back Phillip Lahm, the Germans have more of an attacking bent about them. This is the major difference between the two sides - with eight goals to the Swedes three in the group stages you have to back Germany here to sneak a win.

Both coaches are confident going into this game with Swedish number one Lars Lagerback stating that he does not think the German's home advantage will affect this side. He is aiming for a first World Cup win against the Germans since the Swedes finished runners-up in 1958 and the legacy of that match has produced a strong rivallry between the two sides.

German coach Jurgen Klinsmann meanwhile is aware of the public's desire for them to achieve at least a semi-final spot and this pressure, on their home soil, may be to their disadvantage. He has urged his players to stay focussed however saying that despite their best start to a World Cup in thirty-six years they are going to have to improve to beat the tight Swedes. He is saying that failure is not an option and although this will be tight, it is unlikely that they will fail in this one.

Germany are 4/6 to win in 90 minutes with Total Bet, a draw at 90 minutes is 5/2 with Total Bet and Sweden are 9/2 to win in ninety minutes with Total Bet.

There are plenty of other betting options on the Total Bet Germany v Sweden match coupon. You get £25 in free best when you open a new account at Total Bet.

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