Italy v Sweden player ratings
OVERVIEW
Considering the ease with which Sweden qualified for this year's finals it's remarkable to reflect on their miserable past European Championship record.
The only time they've played in the finals before was in 1992 - and that was when they were the hosts.
That year they reached the semi-finals with Tomas Brolin's wonder goal seeing off England in the group stage.
They scaled an even higher peak two years later when they reached the last four of the World Cup in the United States - but things have been fairly lean since.
There was no fluke about their qualification this time - and it was the defence on which their success was built as they conceded just the one goal in eight qualifying games.
The problem is that they only scored 10 goals at the other end.
It seems churlish to quibble with a record of seven wins and one draw from their eight games but coach Tommy Soderberg needs to make his side a more attacking force if they are to succeed at the next level.
Celtic's Henrik Larsson bagged three goals while Bhoys team-mate Johan Mjallby and Sheffield Wednesday's Niclas Alexandersson both contributed two each.
The news that Larsson will be fit for the finals will come as a massive boost to the goal-shy attack.
Soderberg will be looking to the likes of Arsenal star Fredrik Ljungberg to star in midfield and get into goalscoring positions as often as possible.
Up front, many of Sweden's hopes rest on the shoulders of Kennet Andersson and Larsson.
As far as Sweden's club sides are concerned, this has been a relatively disappointing season with IFK Gothenburg, Helsingborgs and AIK Solna all making early exits from Europe.
But with the majority of Sweden's key players plying their trade abroad there should be plenty of optimism heading into the finals.
There's a decent blend of youth and experience and if they can discover a greater cutting edge they could prove a difficult side to beat.