Sweden look to start midsummer party

Sweden celebrates the longest day of the year on Friday with traditional 'Midsommar' festivities. Pickled herring and salmon washed down with schnapps will be on the menu as well as dancing around the maypole. The maypole is a symbol of fertility, and joint-Sweden coach Jörgen Lennartsson will hope his attack proves as fecund as in their opening match against Belarus when they meet Italy in Helsingborg targeting the semi-finals of the UEFA European Under-21 Championship.

No pressure
The hosts defeated Belarus 5-1 in Tuesday's Group A opener and a victory against the Azzurrini, who drew 0-0 with Serbia on the same day, would guarantee a place in the last four and make the midsummer revelry complete. Lennartsson, though, insisted Sweden would not be getting ahead of themselves. "I don't think it will be a problem keeping our feet on the ground," he said during a joint press conference with Italy coach Pierluigi Casiraghi. "We know what it's all about. In a tournament like this everything can change very quickly, but we're in a great position so we don't feel any pressure."

No secrets
The two sides drew 1-1 in a friendly in Trieste in February, and Lennartsson said that while he would not be revealing his lineup, it was "not a match about secrets as we know each other too well". He added: "Italy have a completely new midfield and we also have a few different players, but I think we know everything about Italy and Italy know everything about us. I don't think it will be decided by tactics – the performance of the players on the day will be crucial." Lennartsson, who has no injury concerns, will expect much of striker Marcus Berg, who scored a hat-trick against Belarus. Asked if he would exchange the FC Groningen player for Italy's own highly rated forward, Mario Balotelli, the coach said he was happy with what he had. "They are two great strikers, but I think Balotelli has a more individual style, while Berg plays more for the team so I think he fits better in our side."

Improvement
Casiraghi, who joked with and hugged the smiling Lennartsson during the conference, said he felt Swedish football had improved considerably in recent years. "They have changed a lot, especially the tactical and technical aspect. I think it's mostly down to the many immigrants in Sweden. I saw the game against Belarus and they had two forwards but also the striker [Pontus] Wernbloom playing in midfield and attacking midfielders like Rasmus Elm and Emir Bajrami in the lineup. Their formation was very attack-minded."

Forward thinking
With captain Marco Motta and midfielder Claudio Marchisio likely to shake off knocks in time to start, Casiraghi will have a full squad available, allowing him to continue with his three-pronged attack. "I've seen the other games in the tournament and the other teams play with one or two forwards," he said. "We're playing with three so we have to keep an eye on defence as well. I was very pleased with the way our attackers helped the defence against Serbia. I hope to see the same attitude again because this game will decide our future in the tournament."