Elm aiming to cut down England

Rasmus Elm is relishing the opportunity to take on England in the UEFA European Under-21 Championship semi-finals, emphasising the "special" nature of the relationship Sweden has with English football.

'Special for Swedes'
The midfielder has been one of Sweden's key performers to date, setting up three of their nine goals including the third in the victory against Serbia that clinched second place in Group A. That result was greeted with jubilation across Sweden – not just because it assured progress, but also because it set up a meeting with Stuart Pearce's side in Gothenburg, as Elm explained. "It's special for Swedes to meet England," the 21-year-old told uefa.com. "Many of the players have been raised with English football; we like the English atmosphere. I watched a lot of it when I was a child, we always followed it on TV in my family. When I was growing up I was a fan of Leeds because of Tomas Brolin. It was a bit of an inspiration for me. I'm not the same kind of player but I always liked him so he was an influence on me."

'Great spirits'
Elm certainly comes from good footballing stock, playing alongside his elder brothers David and Viktor as Kalmar FF claimed the Swedish title for the first time in 2008. He made his senior international debut against the United States in January and scored his first goal in a 2-0 victory over Austria the following month but, although he now has six full caps to his name, he rates the game at the Gamla Ullevi as "one of my biggest". "There's a good harmony in the team, we're in great spirits and we're looking forward to meeting England," he added. "The tournament has been very good for us but we're not satisfied – we're looking forward to the semi-finals."

'Pressure'
To get to what would be their first U21 final since 1992 – and only second overall – Sweden must overcome an England side who made serene progress through the group phase, securing their place in the last four with a match to spare. "They're a great team and we'll have to play our best to have a chance but we're well prepared and we're going to give them a good game," said Elm, who believes Sweden – the finals' top scorers – must stick to their guns. "We have to keep going and do what we do best, which is pressure. We have to win the ball high up the field and keep scoring goals. We'll keep doing that and try to relax because that's when we play our best football."

'Great atmosphere'
Elm – who could move inside from his usual role on the right of midfield to replace the suspended Pontus Wernbloom in the centre – repeatedly used the word "fun" to describe the prospect of playing in the semi-final, and a key element in that will be the Swedish public. All three of the hosts' games have drawn crowds well in excess of 10,000 – 19,820 watched the defeat of Serbia – and Elm believes the yellow wave of supporters has been a key factor in Sweden's success. "We've been to Gothenburg before, it's a nice city, a nice ground and a great atmosphere," he said. "It's fun to come here. I hope the crowd will cheer and make plenty of noise. They were fantastic against Serbia and I hope they do the same again. It's great to see, so put on your yellow T-shirt and come and watch us."