Granqvist may have to fly home for birth

Sweden captain Andreas Granqvist says he will play against England, but could fly home before the clash to attend the birth of his child.

The defender’s wife, Sofia, is due to give birth, which had left him a doubt for tomorrow’s World Cup quarter-final.

But the former Wigan player is adamant he will play in the game, even if he has to fly home first.

“I’m planning to stay,” Granqvist told SNTV.

“My wife is a very strong person and we knew the situation before I came here. Nothing has happened so far.

“If I have the position to fly home quickly then I may do that. But, whatever happens, I do not miss the quarter-final.”

England midfielder Fabian Delph missed his side’s dramatic win over Colombia to be at the birth of his third child, but has since travelled back to Russia.

Sweden beat Switzerland 1-0 on Monday, a day before England progressed 4-3 on penalties following a 1-1 draw.

And Granqvist believes Sweden could have the edge in the last-eight game because of their team spirit. “Harry Kane is fantastic,” he said. “They play more offensively now than they did before, with skilful players like (Raheem) Sterling.

“We lost a lot of big names, we had to start from the beginning and play with 23 players, not one or two.

“We’ve worked really hard and we’ve shown that we really work for each other, we fight for each other and we do it as a collective.”