Sweden expected to defeat Hungary
This Friday sees Sweden host Hungary in the first round of 2012 European championship qualifiers.
The teams have met in several qualifying rounds over the years, and Sweden has come away with the better record.
Erik Hamren's team are expected to edge on top on Friday, but the talent in Hungary's squad suggests that a Swedish victory is not the only possible outcome.
Hamren expected to deliver
Sweden qualified for every European championship and World Cup tournament between 2000 and 2008, meaning missing out on the action in South Africa this summer was a major disappointment.
Hamren is faced with the task of bringing forth a new generation of players into the Swedish national team, with PSV Eindhoven's celebrated playmaker Ola Toivonen among them.
Toivonen will likely play just behind lone striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic on Friday, seeking out combinations with the Milan forward whenever possible. The pair played their first game together against Scotland in August, and the chemistry between them showed great potential.
"It's all about reading his game and it worked well last time," Toivonen told Swedish newspaper DN on Wednesday. "I hope it will work just as well on Friday."
Lyon's Kim Kallstrom and AZ Alkmar's Pontus Wernblom will battle for the vacant midfield spot next to vice-captain Anders Svensson, while PSV's Marcus Berg could step in for Bolton striker Johan Elmander on the right flank.
Celtic's new signing Daniel Majstorovic will partner the experienced Olof Mellberg of Olympiacos in central defence.
Dzsudzak Hungary's star
Swedish trio Toivonen, Berg and Andreas Isaksson are teammates with Hungarian midfielder Balazs Dzsudzak at PSV. As the obvious star of Sandor Egervari's team, Dzsudzak likes to cut in from the right wing to finish with his left foot.
His delivery during open play and on dead balls will pose another threat to the Swedish defence as Hungary seek to pounce on counter attacks during the game.
More creativity will come from Sampdoria's 21-year-old playmaker Vladimir Koman, who will be hoping to catch Sweden on the backfoot by running at them with pace.
Left winger Szabolcs Huszti, who plays his club football with Russian team Zenit St. Petersburg, is one of the more experienced players on the Hungarian side with 50 appearances for the national team.
Sweden's recent record superior
Sweden will fancy their chances of winning the game, as they have done so in the last five meetings between the sides.
The teams were in the same qualifying groups for the last two World Cups, with Sweden winning all four encounters.
Last time the teams met was in Budapest last autumn, when a stretching Ibrahimovic bundled home a rebound to earn Sweden three points. In 2005, the striker scored another winning goal in Budapest as Sweden came away with a 1–0 victory.
Hungary's last victory over Sweden came in 1995 as the Swedes failed to reach the 1996 European championships.
The first ever match between Sweden and Hungary was played nearly a hundred years ago, in June 1912. Then, the game ended in a 2–2 draw.
Group E also contains Finland, the Netherlands, Moldova and San Marino.
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