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Seb has confidence in Swedes

Image: Sebastian Larsson: Hoping England stick with their defensive approach

Sebastian Larsson believes Sweden can take advantage if England continue to adopt a defensive approach in Friday's Euro 2012 group clash.

Larsson hoping England go on the defensive

Sebastian Larsson believes Sweden can take advantage if England continue to adopt a defensive approach in Friday's Euro 2012 group clash at the Olympic Stadium. New England boss Roy Hodgson came in for criticism in some quarters for the way his side conceded possession to France in Monday's 1-1 draw in Donetsk. Sweden need a positive result after being beaten by Ukraine in their opening game and Larsson feels Hodgson's tactics will play into their hands if they remain the same. The Sunderland midfielder said: "I don't know if I expect England to be extremely defensive or not. It is an important game for both teams. Both teams need the points. "We know what we can do and if we play to our capabilities, we are capable of beating England. "If you face a team that is playing really defensively, you can play the sort of game we want to play. "We want to push forward and, if we can keep playing in that way, we can create our chances."

Improve

Larsson knows Sweden need to improve on their opening performance. He said: "The game against Ukraine was not one of my better ones and we did not reach the level we were looking for, not during the first half. "We didn't get into the game and it was hard. Personally I feel strong and eager to play a good game against England and that is the key thing. "Most people would say England are favourites and that is fine by us. We don't worry too much about what people think and who are the favourites. "We just worry about ourselves and try to reach the level we know we can - which didn't happen against Ukraine."

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