Sweden have taken off for Samara ahead of their World Cup quarter final — a full day ahead of their opponents England. Gareth Southgate's squad will fly in from Saint Petersburg on Friday.

A colony of penguins at an aquarium in Birmingham have picked England to win in their World Cup quarter final fixture against Sweden this Saturday.

There are plenty of big guns left in the World Cup, plus a few surprises. Bearing in mind the current odds, here's who Sportsmail's team of football reporters would bet on to win, and why.

The Russian National Tourist Office reiterated on social media on Thursday morning that the embassy was now making an exception to their usual process and issuing visas within one working day.

Certain airlines including Emirates, Etihad, American Airlines and Qatar Airways will be broadcasting England's World Cup quarter final live on Saturday afternoon.

Gareth Southgate's buoyant team face Sweden on Saturday, knowing a win will put them into the semi-final for the first time in 28 years, where they will either face Croatia or hosts Russia.

England will have learned plenty from their penalty shootout win over Colombia and are aware of the barrier Sweden represent. Sportsmail looks at how the quarter-final might be won and lost

James Milner has revealed that he is excited to get the pre-season underway but insists their first fixtures has ruined his World Cup wall chart as Liverpool's first friendly clashes with England's quarter-final.

The unnamed bride, based in England, posted an angry Facebook post declaring that 'under no circumstances' would the match be shown. She has also asked guests to not check the score.

Ahead of Saturday's World Cup quarter-final in Samara, Sportsmail's MARTIN KEOWN takes a look at the likely Sweden XI who will be out to stop Gareth Southgate's Three Lions.

Few countries have crossed paths with England as regularly as Sweden. Ahead of the seismic meeting in Samara, Sportsmail spoke to some of the key players in those dramas.

SAMI MOKBEL IN SAMARA: Southgate, who has considered giving his midfield a defensive feel against Swedenn by starting with Dier in place of Alli, has nurtured a feeling of togetherness.

Steven Gerrard is confident England can beat Sweden in their World Cup quarter-final because they no longer have a maverick such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

After a nerve-racking penalty shootout victory against Colombia, England are in a buoyant mood and triumph against Sweden would set them up with a semi-final clash against either Croatia or Russia.

The last time a Scandinavian nation beat England in the World cup the reaction from Norwegian commentator Bjørge Lillelien was pretty un-Scandinavian to say the least.

Gareth Southgate's England side take on Sweden in Samara on Saturday afternoon with a place in the semi-finals at stake and the excitement levels are at boiling point.

The hours are ticking down to England's World Cup quarter-final against Sweden and the fans are in Samara soaking up the atmosphere ahead of their biggest game in a generation.

In the Samara Arena, situated on the banks of the River Volga in a far-flung corner of the sprawling Russian Motherland, an England team made history.

SAMI MOKBEL AT THE SAMARA ARENA: Goals by Harry Maguire and Dele Alli capped off a relatively comfortable afternoon for England and they now await either Croatia or host Russia in the last four.

It was an eventful game on the pitch but there were a number of events taking place off it as well. From a spare Gareth Southgate in the stands to how fans tried to keep up to date at wedding ceremonies.

England have booked their place in the semi-finals at the World Cup and it was all down to hard work on and off the pitch throughout the tournament, says BBC pundit Alan Shearer. 

It was another memorable victory for England as they beat Sweden 2-0 to reach the World Cup semi-finals for the first time in 28 years. 

Jordan Pickford revealed on Saturday night that he injured his hand by accidentally hammering it against his knee in a moment of frustration during his man-of-the-match display

ROB DRAPER IN SAMARA: Make no mistake. In the Samara Arena, situated on the banks of the River Volga in a far-flung corner of Russia, an England team made history.

Bluewater in Kent, one of the country's biggest shopping centres was like a ghost town. The usually bustling indoor shopping street saw barely anyone frequent the big name high street chains.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic appears to be ready to hold up his end of the bargain he has with David Beckham after his beloved Sweden were knocked out of the World Cup by England on Saturday.

Victor Lindelof will return from the Russia World Cup with his stock higher than ever before, and has a series of clubs interested in acquiring his services on loan for next season.

Steve McManaman has correctly guessed 12 out of 14 World Cup knockout stage games in Russia and believes that France will go on to win the tournament on Sunday afternoon.

Sweden started the match brightly as they threatened the Austrian goal but in the end were the cause of their own downfall after a horror own goal put them at a disadvantage early on. 

Turkey substitute Emre Akbaba got two late goals to snatch a stunning 3-2 win over Sweden in the Nations League as the visitors recovered from two goals down at the Friends Arena on Monday.

The 33-year-old former Wigan Athletic centre-back has been key to Sweden 's impressive defensive record and captained his country at the World Cup forming a partnership with United's Victor Lindelof.

Victor Lindelof issued his former Manchester United and Sweden team-mate Zlatan Ibrahimovic a light-hearted warning after scoring just his second international goal on Tuesday night.

Spain and Italy launched their Euro 2020 qualifying campaigns with relatively routine victories. Scroll through Sportsmail's live feed of the action to see how it all unfolded.

Republic of Ireland made it back-to-back Euro 2020 qualifying wins after Conor Hourihane's first-half free-kick proved enough to see off Georgia at the Aviva Stadium.

You know a match is perhaps not the most interesting when the key moment is a second half substitute. This was the case in Sweden, as the sub almost poked his own eye out while coming on.

ADAM SHERGOLD AT WHITEHALL STADIUM: England ended their Under 17s European Championship campaign on a winning note but it wasn’t enough to carry them to the quarter-finals.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has played for European giants across the biggest leagues, including Ajax, Juventus, Inter Milan, Barcelona, AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United.

Sergio Ramos equalled Iker Casillas' record of 167 caps for Spain as they thrashed the Faroe Islands 4-0 in a Euro 2020 qualifier on Sunday night.

Sergio Reguilon, Pau Torres and Gerard Moreno were handed call-ups on Friday after being named in coach Robert Moreno's squad for Euro 2020 qualifiers against Norway and Sweden.

On Tuesday afternoon, supporters flocked to Malmo's stadium to see Zlatan Ibrahimovic himself unveil the bronze statue, commissioned by the Swedish FA.

PETE JENSON: Martin Odegaard used to train with Ramos and Cristiano Ronaldo through the week and then play with the B-team Real Madrid Castilla at the weekends.

Spanish papers have heaped praise on Sergio Ramos as the captain looks set to break Iker Casillas' record by winning his 168th cap for Spain.

Kepa Arrizabalaga, who is currently gearing up for Spain's Euro 2020 qualifier against Norway on Saturday night, enjoyed a break from his goalkeeping duties during training.

PETE JENSON IN OSLO: Bournemouth's Joshua King won a point for Norway against Spain scoring a penalty against Kepa Arrizabalga after the Chelsea keeper had given away the spot-kick.

Spain midfielder Ceballos fouled Olsson and was subsequently shown a yellow card as Spain trailed in the match.

Sweden striker Alexander Isak was subjected to racist abuse by Romania fans during his side's 2-0 win. The game was stopped by the referee as the first step of UEFA's protocol.

Alexander Isak has been compared to Zlatan Ibrahimovic since racing on the scene at 16. He turned down Real Madrid as a youngster and is now showing his true potential with Real Sociedad.

Pep Guardiola has maintained he cannot be held responsible if £49million defender John Stones misses out on Euro 2020 due to a lack of game time at Manchester City.

The 38-year-old striker, who rejoined the club on December 27 in a surprise switch, will have his contract automatically extended for a season should Milan qualify for the Champions League.

Jo Konta took exception to being asked if she would 'offer her services' to Andy Murray in the Wimbledon mixed doubles, saying it made her sound 'like a hooker'. The British No 1 reacted with shock.