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Rosenberg Likes Sweden Chances

(Soccer365.com) - Markus Rosenberg remains confident Sweden will be the main challengers to England in Group B of the World Cup.

Markus Rosenberg remains confident Sweden will be the main challengers to England in Group B of the World Cup.

The Swedes limped to a disappointing goalless draw with Scandinavian rivals Finland at Gothenburg's Ullevi Stadium on Thursday in their penultimate warm-up match before the start of the finals in Germany.

They may have been stout in defence but Sweden were toothless in attack and lightweight in midfield, with the performance doing little to persuade onlookers to take them as serious challengers this summer.

But striker Rosenberg feels his country are still a force to be reckoned with and said: "England are a very good team and have a very good chance overall, and with Sweden, we have the best chance of getting through the group stages.

"It did not go so well against Finland but I think England and Sweden will go through. After that, it is hard to say what will happen."

Of his other group opponents, the striker added: "With Trinidad and Tobago, I have never seen them so I don't know what they will be like. They could be good or bad.

"As for Paraguay, they played well against Brazil and Argentina in qualifying so they also sound like quite a good team.

"But I still hope we will qualify."

Rosenberg hardly had a sniff against the Finns while his strike partner on the day, Johan Elmander, was afforded a number of opportunities but squandered all of them.

With Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Henrik Larsson undoubtedly the first-choice pairing up front, Rosenberg would have been hoping an impressive performance would make him the next in line among the three other strikers in Sweden's squad.

That did not materialise and the 23-year-old is now counting on his superb debut season for Ajax in Holland to persuade coach Lars Lagerback to go with him in the finals.

"I always want to play but I think I will be on the bench (in Germany)," Rosenberg added.

"With Zlatan and Henrik around, it will be hard to play from the start.

"But I hope I can be third choice. I had a great first year at Ajax and the whole season I did well so hopefully that will count for something."

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Comments

Well you think your chances are good now but when England destroys all competition, thats when you really have to think...

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