Stielike set for Swedish test

By Tim Dykes in Mannheim

Germany coach Uli Stielike has promised to fight fire with fire when his side take on Sweden in their second UEFA European Under-21 Championship Group B match on Saturday.

Elmander threat
Both teams won their opening encounters and know victory at the Carl-Benz-Stadion could seal their place in the semi-finals but Stielike's must find a way to contain Johan Elmander, the Swedish striker who scored two and set up the other in Thursday's 3-1 defeat of Portugal.

'Two strikers'
Germany edged past Switzerland by the odd goal in three and Stielike plans to strengthen his frontline for what could be a crucial encounter. He said: "The Swedes have a very compact team with a very dangerous striker in No9 Elmander but we'll try to put them under pressure by playing two strikers, Lukas Podolski and Mike Hanke.

Podolski fit
"Tomorrow's team will be very different from the one I put out yesterday because neary all of those that haven't featured so far will play a part. They are all very eager and ready to play. Podolski trained today and although he did not take part in shooting practise he showed no ill-effects and will play."

Hrubesch confident
Assistant coach Horst Hrubesch, who scored both goals in West Germany's 1980 European Championship final victory against Belgium, watched Sweden defeat Portugal 3-1 in Thursday's other Group B game. "The Swedish team had five chances and scored three goals," he said. "Their No9 is a sensational player but neither Sweden nor Portugal are an übermannschaft - we have the potential to defeat them both."

Video preparation
Torbjörn Nilsson may disagree, if he has done his homework. The Swedish coach watched a video of Italy's 3-1 friendly defeat of Portugal and deployed the same game plan as the Azzurrini on Thursday - producing an identical result. "I'm proud of my boys," Nilsson said. "They followed my instructions to the letter and our Italian tactics worked 100 per cent."

Hysén recovery
The coach also confirmed that Tobias Hysén, who scored two crucial goals in Sweden's last three qualification matches, will be fit to feature against the Germans after recovering from a foot injury.

'Good chance'
Elmander is also sure to play and the striker says he knows what to expect from the hosts. "We have a very good chance to reach the semi-finals," the striker said. "But the Germans will play for 90 minutes, not give up like Portugal."