The penultimate in our series of in-depth profiles of the teams contesting Euro 2008 focuses on regular qualifiers Sweden.

Current FIFA ranking

23 - between Ivory Coast and Paraguay

Route to finals

Sweden were left to sweat on their qualification, only sealing their place in Austria and Switzerland on the final night of qualifying with a 2-1 win over Latvia, while their nearest rivals Northern Ireland lost to group winners Spain. But the most memorable incident of Sweden's qualification campaign came on a cold night in Copenhagen when a Danish fan - who later claimed to have consumed "15 to 18 pints" prior to the match - ran onto the pitch and attacked the referee. The game was abandoned and Sweden, who had just been awarded a penalty with the score at 3-3, were ultimately awarded the match.

International pedigree

Although Sweden have become perennial qualifiers for recent major tournaments - this will be their fifth straight - they are yet to win anything. A runners-up medal as the home nation at the 1958 World Cup is the furthest Sweden have reached, but their most consistent period of success came in the early 1990s, when a run to the semi-finals of the European Championships in 1992 - again in Sweden - followed by a third place finish at the 1994 World Cup, aided by the likes of Martin Dahlin, Tomas Brolin and Henrik Larsson, saw them rise to number two in the FIFA world rankings.

Coach

The experienced and tactically-minded Lars Lagerback has been with the national side for 10 years, starting off his international career as Tommy Soderberg's assistant in 1998 before stepping up a level two years later to share the head coach's role. Following Euro 2004, Lagerback took the role on his own and since then he has guided Sweden to the World Cup finals in 2006 - where his team finished the group stage in second place behind England - and this summer's tournament in Austria and Switzerland.

Familiar faces

With the Premier League a popular destination for Scandinavian players, it comes as no surprise to see several familiar faces in Lagerback's squad. Defensive stalwart and former Sweden captain Olof Mellberg has just come to the end of a happy seven-year spell with Aston Villa, while Sebastian Larsson - and to a lesser extent Manchester City goalkeeper Andreas Isaksson and Wigan defender Andreas Granqvist - featured in the Premier League last season. Former Celtic and Manchester United ace Henrik Larsson - tempted out of international retirement for this tournament - is possibly Sweden's most recognisable player, although West Ham midfielder and underwear model Freddie Ljungberg and the frustratingly mercurial Zlatan Ibrahimovic may have something to say about that.

Potential stars

With just three players under the age of 25, Sweden boast one of the more experienced squads at the tournament. Sebastian Larsson, at 22, is their youngest player and has just four international caps to his name. But the Birmingham midfielder has made a real impression on Lagerback and could well be given a chance to shine at this summer's tournament.

Chances

Not promising. Sweden's preparations have been far from encouraging and a lacklustre performance in their final warm-up match against Ukraine - a 1-0 defeat - saw the team booed off the pitch. To make matters worse, Lagerback's side have been handed a tough draw and getting out of a group consisting of heavily fancied Spain, hard-to-beat Russia and defending champions Greece will be a big ask. That 36-year-old Henrik Larsson, currently winding down his career at Helsingborg, had to be persuaded out of international retirement to join his compatriots in Austria and Switzerland tells its own story.

Possible starting XI

Andreas Isaksson (Manchester City); Niclas Alexandersson (Goteborg), Mikael Nilsson (Panathinaikos), Olof Mellberg (Juventus), Petter Hansson (Rennes); Christian Wilhelmsson (Deportivo), Tobias Linderoth (Galatasaray), Kim Kallstrom (Lyon), Sebastian Larsson (Birmingham); Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Internazionale), Henrik Larsson (Helsingborg)

Back-ups

Goalkeepers: Rami Shaaban (Hammarby), Johan Wiland (Elfsborg); Defenders: Fredrik Stoor (Rosenborg), Daniel Majstorovic (Basel), Andreas Granqvist (Wigan), Mikael Dorsin (CFR Cluj); Midfielders: Anders Svensson (Elfsborg), Freddie Ljungberg (West Ham), Daniel Andersson (Malmo); Forwards: Johan Elmander (Toulouse), Marcus Allback (FC Copenhagen), Markus Rosenberg (Werder Bremen)

Group D fixtures

10/06/2008 - Greece

14/06/2008 - Spain

18/06/2008 - Russia

Eurosport