Filip Helander UEFA Euro 2020 Preview

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IT’S been one incredible season for Rangers Football Club, and no less than FIVE champions have the opportunity to extend their personally wonderful campaigns with their national teams at this summer’s UEFA Euro 2020 tournament.

With the competition having been delayed for a year, anticipation for the big kick-off on Friday is high, not least given it will be the first time many of the players will have played in front of a significant crowd for the first time in 15 months.

The unique, pan-European nature of this tournament means there are wonderful opportunities to play at some of the continent’s most iconic stadia over the next month, and with four games being played here in Glasgow, it is especially fantastic to have Scotland at their first major tournament in 23 years, with Rangers players as part of their pool too.

This week, as we build up to the big kick-off on Friday, we’ll preview each of the five Light Blues players who will be in action. Today, we’ll take a look at Filip Helander and Sweden…

SWEDEN are somewhat tournament regulars, and like , they have a superb ability to continually produce more young talent and regenerate their squads from generation to generation.

Not since 1996 have they failed to reach a Euros, although in only one of the five tournaments (at Euro 2004) did they make it out of the group stage. And, while they maybe lack the absolute superstar quality they have had in the past with players like Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the still have many players featuring at good levels across Europe and beyond.

They go into this European Championships off the back of a quarter-final appearance at World Cup 2018, and while Fil Helander was a part of the squad for that tournament, he didn’t make an appearance.

He has, however, become more of a regular fixture for the Swedes in recent times, and given his outstanding performances both at home (where incidentally Gers still haven’t lost a league match he has started) and abroad have certainly strengthened his chances of a starting berth.

There, he could well partner Manchester United’s Victor Lindelof in defence in what is a group Sweden will fancy their chances of getting out of.

Based in Gothenburg, Sweden face the reasonably lengthy flight to Seville for their first match against Spain on Monday at 8pm, with their two matches afterwards being played in St Petersburg.

Spain and Sweden have become regular foes in recent years – the two were together in qualifying for the Euros with Spain winning 3-0 in Madrid and rescuing an injury-time 1-1 draw in Stockholm, while they have also been paired in qualifying for Qatar 2022.

Sweden will then face Slovenia on Friday, June 14 at 2pm in matchday two, before their final match could see Fil face one of the biggest tests of all with Robert Lewandowski and Poland their final opponents on Wednesday, June 23 at 5pm.

Should they make it through as group winners, their Round of 16 tie will be played at Hampden, but if not, they could find themselves traveling to any one of Copenhagen, Seville or Budapest.

Off the back of their performance in 2018, where England eventually ended their interest in the last eight, they will certainly be confident of making a serious impact this time around.

They defeated South Korea, Mexico and Switzerland en-route to that stage, and will be hoping for a similar or better run this time around.

SWEDEN FIXTURES (timings BST)

Monday 14 June – Spain v Sweden - 8pm - Hampden
Friday 18 June – Sweden v Slovenia – 2pm – St Petersburg
Wednesday 23 June – Sweden v Poland - 5pm – St Petersburg

SWEDEN SQUAD

Goalkeepers: Karl-Johan Johnsson (København), Kristoffer Nordfeldt (Gençlerbirliği), Robin Olsen (Everton)

Defenders: Ludwig Augustinsson (Werder Bremen), Pierre Bengtsson (Vejle), Marcus Danielson (Dalian Yifang), Andreas Granqvist (Helsingborg), Filip Helander (Rangers), Pontus Jansson (Brentford), Emil Krafth (Newcastle United), Victor Lindelöf (Manchester United), Mikael Lustig (AIK)

Midfielders: Jens-Lys Cajuste (Midtjylland), Viktor Claesson (Krasnodar), Albin Ekdal (Sampdoria), Emil Forsberg (Leipzig), Dejan Kulusevski (Juventus), Sebastian Larsson (AIK), Kristoffer Olsson (Krasnodar), Robin Quaison (Mainz), Ken Sema (Watford), Mattias Svanberg (Bologna), Gustav Svensson (Guangzhou)

Forwards: Marcus Berg (Krasnodar), Alexander Isak (Real Sociedad), Jordan Larsson (Spartak Moskva)

Coach: Janne Andersson

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