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Italy seek improvement and three points

Italy and Sweden meet in group C of the European Championship on Friday, having experienced differing fortunes in the tournament so far.

Italy shared a goalless draw with Denmark in their opening match and then had Francesco Totti banned for three games for spitting at Christian Poulsen. They will need a much sharper performance from Christian Vieri and Alessandro del Piero up front if they are to win their second match.

Sweden already have a striker in peak form with Henrik Larsson, and he is backed up a team with a determined work ethic.

This will not be easy for Italy, but, in what is likely to be a hard-fought game, their star-studded line-up can come up with the goods.

Skybet are best at 6-5 about the Italians, with Victor Chandler tops at 14-5 about Sweden. The draw is 11-5 with Bet365.

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Denmark, boosted by a goalless draw against the Italians, can record their first success by beating Bulgaria in the other game in the group.

The Danes will feel a draw was the least their efforts deserved, and they will be further boosted by the availability of Jesper Gronkjaer and Tomas Gravesen.

Gronkjaer has joined the team after attending the funeral of his mother in Denmark, and Gravesen served a red-card suspension in the match against Italy.

Bulgaria were beaten 5-0 by Sweden in their opening game, but that scoreline did them little justice. They played some flowing football and had two presentable chances to equalise Sweden’s opening goal, only to find themselves hit by two goals in a minute by Henrik Larsson.

The question is whether Bulgaria can pick themselves up after that defeat, and it was not encouraging the way they disintegrated in the later stages.

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There is plenty of 5-6 available about Denmark, with Bulgaria at 4-1 (Skybet) and the draw 12-5 (Ladbrokes).