Chelsea defender Magda Eriksson says that England are the best team that Sweden will face at the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022.
The two nations contest a semi-final tie at Bramall Lane in Sheffield tomorrow night. England have played some truly phenomenal football at the tournament so far but Sweden are yet to really hit top gear.
When speaking in the pre-match press conference, Chelsea and Sweden defender Eriksson said that England will be her side’s most-challenging opponents yet and the Lionesses are likely to be tougher than any potential opponent in the final.
“I have been really impressed with England so far in this tournament,” Eriksson said. “I think this game will definitely be our toughest game so far, England are the best team that we are going to face.”
Sweden defeated England in the Bronze Medal match at the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019 while they were Olympic Games Women’s Football Tournament finalists in Tokyo last summer. Eriksson is a firm believer that having big game experience can give you an advantage.
She said “I value experience a lot because I know how much I have grown with experience and I know how much experience gives you confidence.
“Having done things before, it makes doing things again easier but that being said, tomorrow is not going to be easy and it won’t matter (experience) because it is a game of football.
“For me personally, I like experience, I grow with experience and it gives me confidence.”
Despite maybe not shining as brightly as the other three semi-finalists so far, Eriksson said that the Swedish squad are a tight group who are committed to reaching a Wembley final.
“We have experience in our squad, fantastic players who have played many games and have been with us for so long and they add something to the group, a winning culture,” Eriksson said.
“We are an extremely tight group, the togetherness is really strong, we are willing to do everything for each other. The common goal we have is to go as far as possible so it’s that experience but also that hunger that we always want to win.”
Sweden’s UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 semi-final against England kicks-off at 8pm tomorrow night.
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