Fourth time lucky for England? – Talking points ahead of Sweden semi-final

The Lionesses have never made it to the final of a major tournament.

England face Sweden on Tuesday for a place in the Euro 2022 final at Wembley five days later.

Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the key talking points surrounding the semi-final at Bramall Lane.

Fourth time lucky?

England players appear dejected after their 2-1 semi-final loss to the United States three years ago (John Walton/PA).

Same side again?

Through a group campaign that saw the team score 14 goals without reply across three victories, and then for the 2-1 extra-time win over Spain in the quarter-finals, England have maintained the same starting line-up. Substitutes such as Alessia Russo and Ella Toone, who combined for the equaliser against Spain, have done well after coming on – and it may well be that Wiegman wants to once again keep such players as options for making an impact from the bench. It appears all 23 players in her squad will be available for selection.

White on the brink of history

Northern Ireland v England – UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 – Group A – St Mary’s Stadium — Ellen White is closing in on Wayne Rooney’s record (John Walton/PA)

The prospect of Sweden

An indication of how tough England’s challenge might be on Tuesday is the current world rankings, in which they lie eighth – Sweden are Euro 2022’s highest-ranked team, at number two. Their squad features some prominent Women’s Super League names, such as Chelsea skipper Magda Eriksson and Arsenal striker Stina Blackstenius, and they reached a final last summer, claiming silver at the Tokyo Olympics. At this tournament, Peter Gerhardsson’s side topped their group following a 1-1 draw with the Netherlands and victories over Switzerland and Portugal before getting past Belgium 1-0 in the last eight.

Head-to-head

Sweden v Belgium – UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 – Quarter Final – Leigh Sports Village — Sweden left it late to book their place in the last four (Tim Goode/PA)