Sweden look to cross finish line in Helsinki

Sweden travel to Helsinki seeking a victory to secure a top-two finish in Group E but their hosts will have other ideas as they bid to avenge a heavy away defeat by their opponents up E in their final UEFA EURO 2012 home qualifier.

• Sweden enter the fixture in second place in Group E and should they win, third-ranked Hungary would be unable to catch them, due to their inferior head-to-head record. Should the Netherlands lose at home against Moldova as well, then Sweden, who face the Dutch in their last fixture, would retain a chance of winning the section outright.

• Sweden have dominated in the 84 previous games between the two sides with a record of W64 D11 L9.

• They beat Finland 5-0 in their first Group E meeting on 7 June. Zlatan Ibrahimović began the night on the bench but ended it as the focal point of Sweden's impressive victory. The striker replaced an injured Ola Toivonen in the 25th minute and found the net twice before the break before heading his third soon after, with Kim Källström and Emir Bajrami also scoring.

• Finland lost 5-2 against Sweden in Helsinki in 22 October 1911 in their first international game.

• Sweden's biggest win over Finland was a 10-1 rout in a friendly in Helsinki on 15 August 1954. At home they beat their neighbours 7-0 on 24 August 1947 and 8-1 on 2 October 1949.

• The Finns last beat their rivals on home soil back on 21 February 1982, prevailing 2-1 in a friendly in Lahti.

• The sides' last competitive fixture before this campaign came in 1992 FIFA World Cup qualifying. Klas Ingesson's goal gave Sweden a 1-0 victory in Helsinki on 9 September 1992, and they won the return fixture 3-2 with Martin Dahlin striking twice either side of a Henrik Larsson goal. Tero Suominen and Jari Litmanen scored for Finland.

• Finland coach Mixu Paatelainen featured in both those games as a player.