Sunderland midfielder Seb Larsson believes Sweden can dent England's Euro 2012 hopes

Seb Larsson has fired England a Euro 2012 warning by claiming Sweden are ready to hit back from their opening defeat.

Roy Hodgson's men face Sweden in Kiev on Friday night and Erik Hamren's men need to win after their disappointing 2-1 defeat to co-hosts Ukraine in their opening match.

Sweden have a fine record against England as well - they have not tasted defeat against the Three Lions in seven competitive fixtures.

And although Larsson is aware of the tough test in prospect, the Sunderland midfielder believes Sweden can dent England's Euro 2012 hopes.

"If we perform like we have done before we know we can win the game, which we have to," he said.

"We expect a very tough game; you never have an easy one against England. We expect them to be very organised, which they have been for a long time and since Roy [Hodgson] took over. Both teams need the points.

"We didn't get into the game against Ukraine and it was hard to seize control. I'm really looking forward to this game.

"Most people would say England are favourites and that's fine by us. We don't worry too much about what people think."

England skipper Steven Gerrard got his side's tournament off to a flying start with a perfect free-kick that Joleon Lescott headed home against France, before Samir Nasri clawed Les Bleus level.

And Larsson, who has identified Gerrard as a principal threat, added: "He is leader and a very important player in their team.

"He has it all and is a player I've looked up to for a long time."

Coach Hamren admits it was a crushing blow to lose Sweden's opener but he's adamant his side are in the right frame of mind to respond against England.

He said: "It's been tough since the loss against Ukraine - it hurts to lose.

"The performance was not what we were wishing for. The last two days have given us a lot of good energy and now our focus is on the game tomorrow."

Hamren, who will name the dangerous Zlatan Ibrahimovic in attack on Friday after the AC Milan striker was passed fit, also had words of praise for Hodgson.

The England Manager enjoyed great success in Sweden and took charge of Hamstads and Malmo in the late 1970s and early 80s.

Hamren added: "He is a really good coach and a nice person, too.

"He came to Sweden unknown but has become a big name because of the way he achieved results and influenced Swedish football. He's a big name and we'll never forget what he did for us."