Former Sweden midfielder Hakan Mild has warned England to expect an “unpleasant surprise” when the sides meet in the World Cup quarter-final on Saturday.
Mild, 47, was an integral part of Sweden’s third-place finish during the 1994 World Cup in the United States, and he has backed his team to reach the semi-finals this year after launching a scathing assessment of England’s footballing capabilities.
Gareth Southgate’s side are frontrunners to triumph at the Samara Arena, but the former Wimbledon midfielder has accused “spoilt” England of complacency heading into the crunch clash.
Mild, now a director of Swedish club IFK Gothenborg, told reporters (via the Mirror): “You don’t get afraid when you see this team. It suits Sweden well.
“England have just played a long, tough game with extra time and I also think they have a little bit of hubris.
“They think they are going to win and they will get an unpleasant surprise on Saturday.
“They think they are so good but they are not. It’s spoilt young people who make a ton of money.”
The Scandinavian nation are flourishing in the post-Zlatan Ibrahimovic era as Janne Andersson’s side have kept three clean sheets en route to their match against the Three Lions.
Wins in the group stages against South Korea and Mexico confirmed their place at the summit of Group F, while Tuesday afternoon bore witness to a 1-0 victory over Switzerland in the last-16.
Andersson believes the triumphs of 1994 can be replicated, or even surpassed, and Mild has backed this sentiment as he further condemns the English mentality to keep clean sheets.
He added: “The English are easy to score against. They do not have the total determination required.”
Whoever takes the spoils on Saturday at the Samara Arena will book their place in the semi-final and will lock horns with either Croatia or hosts Russia.
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