Troy L. Milliron 
Belgium coach Ives Serneels has hinted his Swedish counterpart Peter Gerhardsson could be nervous ahead of Friday’s Euro 2022 quarter-final.
Gerhardsson was reportedly hesitant to talk too much about his side ahead of the clash at Leigh Sports Village to prevent Belgium from taking the lead.
Serneels claims it wouldn’t matter as he has already done his own research on his team’s last eight opponents.
“For me, that’s not the goal,” Serneels told reporters at a press conference. “It’s his idea to say what he wants, but I know what we’re going to do tomorrow and that’s the most important thing.
“I don’t know the information, I’m not afraid of the information getting to the other side.
“It’s football. It’s a European Championship quarter-final. Maybe it shows a bit of nervousness on the other side. For me, I don’t see any problem.”
The winners will face tournament hosts England in the semi-final next Tuesday.
Serneels admits his side will have their work cut out against the world’s second-ranked team.
He said: “We will try to be ready from the first minute. Sweden have very good physical aspects in their game, so we will try to have a good plan.
“They played a good first round and every girl on this team has strong individual qualities.”
Sweden took the lead in Group C after a draw with the Netherlands and a narrow win over Switzerland with a 5-0 thrashing of Portugal. Belgium finished second to France in Group D with four points.
England players will no doubt be on the lookout – they will face the winners on Tuesday
However, Sweden – the highest ranked team at Euro 2022 – have been hit by Covid absences ahead of their quarter-final. Hannah Glas and Emma Kullberg will miss Friday’s game, while Jonna Andersson, Hanna Bennison and Jennifer Falk also missed sessions after testing positive.
Gerhardsson insists he takes nothing for granted against a Belgian side who have impressed him.
He said: “You can talk about a national team, you can talk about a league (club) team. The more days you spend together, the more you look like a league team.
“Belgium, of the four teams we have met so far, is the one that most resembles a league team. They are the best organized both in defense and in attack. They resemble a league team with quality players.”
Follow Euro 2022 on Sky Sports
Sky Sports News and Sky Sports’ digital platforms will follow every step of England’s journey to Euro 2022 ahead of Tuesday’s semi-final.
On the road, the Sky Sports News Mobile Presentation bus will continue to bring you all the best guests and analysis from Karen Carney, Sue Smith, Courtney Sweetman-Kirk and Laura Bassett offering their expert perspective. The bus will be based in the heart of Sheffield ahead of England’s final four game, before traveling to Wembley for the final.
On SkySports.com, the Sky Sports app and on social media, we’ll be covering all the highlights with our previews, features, reports, analysis, plus the Sky Sports Women’s Euros podcast with Sky Sports Charlotte’s senior football reporter Marsh and Sky Sports News reporter Anton Toloui.
And if you’re new to the England squad, don’t worry – here’s our guide to meeting the Lionesses.
As well as England, Sky Sports News and Sky Sports digital will also be covering all knockout matches as we head into the showpiece final on July 31.
The knockout phase…
Quarter-finals
Wednesday July 20
Quarter-final 1: England 2-1 Spain (AET)
Thursday July 21
Quarter-final 2: Germany 2-0 Austria
friday july 22
Quarter-final 3: Sweden vs Belgium – Kick off 8pm, Leigh Sports Village
Saturday July 23
Quarter-final 4: France vs Netherlands – kick off 8pm, New York Stadium
Semi-finals
tuesday july 26
Semi-final 1: England vs Sweden or Belgium – Kick off 8pm, Bramall Lane
Wednesday July 27
Semi-final 2: Germany vs France or Netherlands – kick off 8pm, Stadium MK
Final
Sunday July 31
Winners semi-final 1 vs Winners semi-final 2 – kick-off 5pm, Wembley
