UEFA Euro 2016 Italy vs Sweden Preview: The Blues Poised to Win Group E Match; Kickoff, TV Info, Live Stream and Ticket Pricing
Both Teams are Hoping to Advance to the Knockout Stage
A spot in the knockout stages is at stake on Friday for the Group E match between Italy and Sweden. Based on their previous games, The Blues are the favored winner. Both teams will clash at the Stadium Municipal in Toulouse on June 17 at 9 a.m.
Three More Points to Advance
Italy was successful in beating Belgium last Monday with a 2-0 win. Graziano Pelle and Emanuele Giaccherini scored the goals for the team. However, the Italian squad would need to add three more points for their upcoming game to move on to the next stage. Italy's manager Antonio Conte is asking his men to do an extraordinary performance for Friday.
"I think I've got a very intelligent group of players at my disposal," Conte said as he commended the team for their hard work during the group stage of the tournament. The manager said they are aware that they need to give their best performance and not just an ordinary play.
Aside from this record and determination, Italy has also won the UEFA Euro games before. It is projected that they have better chances of winning versus Sweden. The Blues is also armed with great players like Leonardo Bonucci, Gianluigi Buffon, Giorgio Chiellini and Graziano Pellee. A lineup like this boosts the chances of Italy to win their upcoming match.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic Hoping to Shine
Meanwhile, Sweden had a 1-1 draw with the Republic of Ireland as Ciaran Clark contributed a goal for their opening game. Now, captain Zlatan Ibrahimovic is hoping to score during the match versus Italy since he has not been really productive in previous games, experts observed.
Sweden's coach Erik Hamren remains positive that Ibrahimovic will lead the team to a victory on Friday. However, he claims that they need to improve on their gameplay and strategy to claim triumph.
"We have to give 300 percent in the next games if we are going to go through," Hamren added.
The next game is the 23rd match-up of both teams, with Italy winning 10 games while Sweden only snatched six. In 2004, they faced off in the European Championships that ended in a 1-1 draw. For that year, Italy was eliminated during the group stage while Sweden advanced to the next round.
Tickets for the game are sold for $78 to $700. ITV will have a live broadcast of the game with streaming also available online.