Euro 2022: England to face Sweden in semi-final clash at Bramall Lane in Sheffield

England will attempt to reach the Euro 2022 semi final when they face 1984 winners Sweden in a hotly anticipated clash on Tuesday evening.

The Lionesses are going into the fixture with some momentum, having demolished Norway 8-0 in the group stage and reached the last four after defeating Spain in extra time.

Division Street, in Sheffield city centre, was crammed with blue and yellow shirts as Sweden fans enjoyed a Yorkshire mixture of sunny spells and drizzle. England fans seemed to be leaving it a little later to begin their pre-match rituals but two fan parks in the city are expected to be crammed by kick-off at 8pm.

An England fan shows her support at Devonshire Green ahead of the semi-final clash. Credit: PA

Every hotel room in Sheffield has reported to have been snapped up for the much-anticipated Euro clash.

Sheffield Business Improvement District said being a host city may have brought in more than £7.6m.

Around 1,500 Sweden fans are expected in Sheffield for the match, which will be broadcast live across the BBC and is due to take place at Sheffield United’s Bramall Lane 32,000 seater stadium.

Sweden, second in the Fifa rankings behind the USA, have beat the Lionesses 15 times from the 26 encounters the sides have had, with England only winning three of those fixtures.

The Lionesses have exited the last three major tournaments at the semi-final stage, the 2015 and 2019 World Cups and Euro 2017. Their overall record has seen them win two out of seven semi-finals, going on to finish runners-up at Euro 1984 and 2009.

But after a recent run of strong performances, Britons are hoping that the team could win a major competition for the first time.

Tonight’s expected line-up is: Earps; Bronze, Bright, Williamson, Daly; Walsh, Stanway; Mead, Kirby, Hemp; White.

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