Sweden do not fear facing holders England in Euro quarter-finals, says Asllani

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FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - UEFA Womens Euro 2025 - Group C - Poland v Sweden - Stadion Allmend, Lucerne, Switzerland - July 8, 2025 Swedens Kosovare Asllani REUTERS/Matthew Childs/File photo

ZURICH - Sweden captain Kosovare Asllani said her team do not fear England but instead have a healthy respect for the European champions ahead of their Euro 2025 quarter-final showdown on Thursday.

After Englands 6-1 thrashing of Wales to end the group stage, midfielder Ella Toone said Sweden should be scared.

We do respect England, the team they have and what they have achieved so far, Asllani said at a press conference on Wednesday. But fear -- no, we dont have the word fear in our dictionary.

We look at the word courage. We want to be a courageous side. And we have a perfect game plan to win this match.

England dispatched the Swedes 4-0 in the 2022 Euro semi-finals en route to winning their first major title, but the two teams most recently drew in a pair of Euro qualifiers last year.

I think both we and England are better now than we were in 2022, better teams, better players, better in shape overall, said coach Peter Gerhardsson. I hope for a good game tomorrow, and I hope to win.

Heading into the knockout stage, there is the potential for penalties, and while Asllani said they prepare for a shootout, nobody likes them.

It is part of the game and you practice it before,