By John Egbokhan reporting from UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Coach Roland Larsson insists that his Swedish side are not afraid of the Golden Eaglets, who they confront in today’s crunch FIFA U-17 World Cup semifinal match at the Rashid Stadium, Dubai.

The Nigerians have notched up a mind-boggling 20 goals in their campaign here and are itching to score more against a Swedish side, who were held to a 3-3 draw by the Eaglets in the group phase of the tournament.

Featuring in the FIFA U-17 World Cup for the first time, the Scandinavians, whose Cinderella run here have amazed the world, go into the game as underdogs but Coach Larsson is adamant that his side will match up with the attacking skills of their foes from West Africa.

SHARJAH, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – NOVEMBER 02: The Nigerian bench during the FIFA U-17 World Cup UAE 2013 Quarter Final match between Uruguay and Nigeria at the Sharjah Stadium on November 2, 2013 in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by FIFA)

“It is going to be another interesting and high intensity game. We were close to beating them the last time we met. It was the best game for me and the next one is going to be el clasico. We are prepared and hope to win.

“If you are going to play a good match against Nigeria, we have to be focused, ready to run, fight and cover spaces. In the last game, we had more possession in the first half but tomorrow (today) is not going to be about defending because if you have to beat Nigeria, you have to score goals.

“We have respect for each other but we are not afraid of them because when you are in the semifinal, you are good. The first game is history. Nigeria have lots of high quality players, who know how to score. They use the wings well. They are a complete team for attacking and counter-attacking.

“We have nothing to lose but we would not lose because we know what to do to   get the win. It is the little details that will matter in this match because at this stage, some of the boys are tired and are losing stream. It is going to be tactical and psychological. Sweden are  always the underdogs because we are a small football-playing country”, added Coach Larsson, during the pre-match conference yesterday.