History favours Sweden over Denmark

The official opening fixture in Gothenburg will be the 47th meeting between two giants of the women's game – hosts Sweden and Denmark.

Head-to-head record
• In the 46 previous encounters, Sweden have won 24 and Denmark 11, with 11 draws. In the goals tally, Sweden lead 70-42. Of 14 competitive games, Sweden lead 7-3 in wins with four draws.

• They first met on 27 July 1974 with Denmark winning 1-0 in Markusbol, Finland. That was Denmark's first official fixture, Sweden having made their bow the previous day by beating Finland 1-0. Denmark overcame Finland 5-0 a day later to win the triangular tournament.

• Denmark won their first three meetings before a 1-1 draw in 1976 and a 1-0 Sweden victory the following year.

• They met competitively for the first time in a two-legged quarter-final for the 1989 UEFA European tournament that preceded the current Women's EURO championship. Sweden won 5-1 in Denmark on October 1988 before a 1-1 home draw 11 days later.

• Denmark gained revenge 3-2 on aggregate in the 1993 quarter-finals but Sweden won both 1997 qualifiers and have had the better of their two subsequent Women's EURO final tournament meetings. In 2001 in Germany, Sweden won their semi-final 1-0 and four years later in England drew 1-1 in a section from which they progressed but Denmark exited behind Finland, who are also in Group A this time around.

• Sweden beat Denmark 3-1 in the 1996 Olympic group stage in Orlando.

Selected previous meetings
11 September 2010: Sweden 2-1 Denmark (Forsberg 56, Schelin 61; Paaske-Sørensen 64) – Gamla Ullevi, Gothenberg, FIFA Women's World Cup play-off
Sweden: Lindahl, Rohlin, Seger, Thunebro, Larsson, Schelin, Nillson, Öqvist (Landström 70), Sjögran (Asllani 83), Forsberg, Fischer.
Denmark: Johansen, Roddik Hansen, K Pedersen, Øyangen Ørntoft, J Jensen, Knudsen, Paaske-Sørensen, Bukh, Nadim (Pape 58), Harder (Veje 70), S Nielsen (J Rasmussen 70).

16 September 2010: Denmark 2-2 Sweden, aet (J Rasmussen 41, Paaske-Sørensen 43; Rohlin 73 94) – Vejle Stadium, Vejle, FIFA Women's World Cup play-off
Denmark: Johansen, Roddik, K Pedersen, J Jensen, Knudsen (S Nielsen 92), Paaske-Sørensen, Bukh, Pape, J Rasmussen, Harder (Veje 63), T Nielsen (Nadim 98).
Sweden: Lindahl, Rohlin, Svensson, Seger, Thunebro, Larsson, Schelin, Landström, Öqvist (Liljegard 64), Forsberg (Asllani 31, Dahlqvist 106), Fischer.

• These teams' last competitive meetings came in a thrilling play-off in which Sweden overcame a 2-0 second-leg deficit to qualify in extra time for the finals in Germany. The first leg was played at the new stadium where they meet again to open Group A; their only previous Gothenburg encounter was a 2-2 friendly draw on 13 July 1980.

• They have met once since that World Cup play-off, Sweden beating Denmark 3-1 on 4 March 2011 in Olhao at the Algarve Cup.

• In the 2005 UEFA European Women's Under-19 Championship second qualifying round a Sweden team including Lisa Dahlqvist beat a Denmark side containing Line Roddik, Janni Jensen, Sine Hovesen, Mette Jensen and Kristine Pedersen 3-1. Dahlqvist scored in added time but neither side made the finals.

• The following season, having drawn 1-1 in the first qualifying round, both teams did reach the U19 finals. They drew 0-0 in Switzerland with Dahlqvist starting for Sweden and Denmark including Roddik, Mette Jensen, Hovesen and Nanna Christiansen. That result ensured Denmark pipped Sweden to the semi-finals.

• In the 2008/09 U19 second qualifying round a Sweden team including Sofia Jakobsson and Antonia Göransson were 1-0 winners in Poland against a Denmark team for whom Cecelie Sandvej, Katrine Veje and Cecilie Pedersen started. Jakobsson scored to clinch qualification at their neighbours' expense.

Form guide
• Sweden qualified automatically as hosts and, unlike Denmark, have played at both major final tournaments since UEFA Women's EURO 2009. Having beaten Denmark to qualify for the 2011 World Cup they finished third, which in turn earned a place at the 2012 Olympics.

• There, after coming through the group stage, Sweden lost 2-1 in the quarter-finals to France, who they had beaten to World Cup bronze.

• Pia Sundhage led the United States to gold in London before leaving in September 2012 to replace Thomas Dennerby as coach of her native Sweden.

• In a 21-year international playing career, Sundhage was part of the Sweden team that won the inaugural 1984 UEFA competition, still their only major honour. In the final against England she scored the only goal of the home leg in Gothenburg and although Sweden lost the return 1-0 six days later, Sundhage converted the winning penalty in the shoot-out.

• Sweden have lost in three other Women's EURO finals, each time to hosts: Norway in 1987 and Germany in 1995 and 2001. Norway also beat them in the 2005 semi-finals and 2009 quarter-finals.

• Denmark seldom falter in qualifying groups and so it proved again for this tournament. They won their first six fixtures and, despite a surprise 3-1 defeat in Austria on 15 September 2012, four days later a 2-0 win against Portugal confirmed first place in Group 7.

• Denmark also met the hosts in the UEFA Women's EURO 2009 opener, losing 1-0 to Finland, and they were to exit in the group stage, just as they did in 2005 behind Sweden and Finland (having beaten hosts England). They made the 2001 semi-finals, losing to Sweden, having previously made the last four in 1993, 1991 and 1984.

• Denmark reached the 1995 World Cup quarter-finals in Sweden despite losing two of their group games, falling 3-1 to eventual winners Norway in the last eight. In the same round, the hosts were beaten on penalties by China.

• Sweden are hoping to keep up the good record of host teams in Women's EURO openers. Four years ago Finland beat Denmark 1-0 in Helsinki, while in 2005 Finland themselves lost 3-2 to England in Manchester in front of a tournament record 29,092 crowd. Germany began the 2001 finals by seeing off Sweden 3-1 in Erfurt, while in the joint-hosted 1997 tournament – the first to begin with a group stage – Sweden beat Russia 2-1 in Karlstad and Norway saw off Denmark 5-0 in Lillestrom.

Team ties
• Denmark coach Kenneth Heiner-Møller had three meetings with Sundhage in her previous role with the US – all at the Algarve Cup. In 2012 the US beat Denmark 5-0 and also won 2-0 in 2009 and 2-1 in the 2008 final. Sundhage was Marika Domanski Lyfors's assistant as China coach when the hosts beat Heiner-Møller's Denmark 3-2 in their 2007 World Cup opener.

• Swedish sides have won all four two-legged ties against Danish clubs in the UEFA Women's Champions League/UEFA Women's Cup. Most recently, Göteborg FC beat Fortuna Hjørring in the round of 16, drawing 1-1 in Denmark then prevailing 3-2 at their Valhalla home, in the same complex as the Gamla Ullevi.

• Denmark's Janni Jensen, Nadia Nadim, Karoline Nielsen, Sofie Pedersen and Kristine Pedersen played for Fortuna against Göteborg's Swedish internationals Kristin Hammarström and Stina Segerström. Nadim scored in the first leg and Pedersen pulled Fortuna back to 3-2 in the return.

• Sine Hovesen was an unused substitute in both legs for Fortuna but when the teams had met at the same stage in 2011/12, played in each match against Göteborg, who won 4-2 on aggregate.

• Several of Denmark's squad have experience in Sweden's Damallsvenskan. Katrine Veje and Christina Ørntoft play for 2011 champions FC Malmö, Røddik helped Tyresö FF to the 2012 title, Johanna Rasmussen is with Kristianstads DFF and Pernille Harder plays for Linköpings FC.

• Schelin has proved a nemesis for Danish clubs in recent seasons with Olympique Lyonnais. In the 2009/10 UEFA Women's Champions League she played both legs of a 6-0 aggregate last 16 defeat of Fortuna, scoring twice in the 5-0 home triumph. Then in 2011/12 Lyon ousted Brøndby in the quarter-finals, winning both legs 4-0 with Schelin taking part in both games.