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The Swedish team goes into the knockout round as the undefeated group winners
Photo: JOEL MARKLUND / imago images / Bildbyran
Would you like to refresh your knowledge of the 16 best teams for the second round of the European Football Championship?
The most important information about the game Sweden against Ukraine on Tuesday (9 p.m., TV: ARD, stream: MagentaTV, live ticker: SPIEGEL.de) can be found here.
What are the Swedes' chances?
The group stage was more than just a respectable success for Janne Andersson's team: With well-organized counter-football, they even prevailed unbeaten against the favored Spaniards, who could only dream of Swedish efficiency.
RB Leipzig's Emil Forsberg in particular contributed three goals to the fact that the Tre Kronor were rewarded with a place on the supposedly lighter half of the tournament tree.
The cool, wait-and-see Swedish style will also be a challenge for individually stronger teams than the Ukraine.
Which player will be important?
Dejan Kulusevski was only on the field for 35 minutes in the tournament - but that was enough for the youngster to two assists against Poland.
After surviving the corona infection, Kulusevski, who is already regularly deployed at Juventus Turin, is now pushing into the starting line-up of the Swedes.
The 1.86 meter tall offensive player prefers to come over the right wing, where he can hardly be separated from the ball with his combination of speed, power and quick changes of direction.
Kulusevski could make the Swedish counterattack a class better.
What else is there to know?
The most fouls (13.3 per game), the least possession of the ball (35.3%), the lowest pass rate (69.9%): Among the teams remaining in the tournament, the Swedes are a team of extremes.
But nobody should make the mistake of interpreting these numerical values as weaknesses.
The Swedes know exactly what they are doing.
The retreat to one's own penalty area in the 4-4-2 system is a deliberate one, the opponent should get the ball, but have no way of ever playing flat into the penalty area - only to be countered.
So far, the success has proven the Swedes right.
What are Ukraine's chances?
Andrei Shevchenko's team is a surprise bag: Ukraine was the last third party to win the knockout phase.
Between pleasing offensive football and complete overstrain with aggressive midfield pressing, you have seen everything from Ukraine.
Against the much more constant Swedes you are the slight outsider - but the prospect of being allowed to play the game could play into Ukraine's cards.
Which player will be important?
Ukraine have players who could crack Sweden's deep 4-4-2 block.
Andriy Yarmolenko, for example.
At 31 years of age, the right-winger is the seasoned leader on the field, has already scored twice and shoots on goal more often than any other Ukrainian.
His strong left foot can cause danger from a distance, striker Roman Yaremchuk can bring his creativity into play even against an attentive Swedish defensive, his dribbling skills tear gaps in the Swedes' tight defense: the greatest of them rest on ex-Dortmund Yarmolenko Ukrainian hopes.
What else is there to know:
If the Swedes fail to overcome the game, the Ukrainians have another secret weapon: their standards. In the group stage there is already one goal from a corner kick and one from a free-kick flank. The man for the dormant balls is Ruslan Malinovskiy from Atalanta Bergamo - alongside his midfield colleague Oleksandr Zinchenko from Manchester City, the only Ukrainian who is under contract with a foreign Champions League club.