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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Heather Watson is part of a new crop of players that have recently re-energised the British game. Katie Nicholl meets the British tennis star who's aceing it on and off Centre Court

The athlete, 28, has revealed that her family members and close friends have failed to recognise her when she is out of her tennis whites.

Johanna Konta knows she faces an 'inspired' opponent in Petra Kvitova in the last 16 at Wimbledon on Monday. Czech sixth seed Kvitova has breezed into the fourth round.

MATTHEW LAMBERT AT WIMBLEDON: The British No 1 led 4-1 in the first set but her Czech opponent reeled her back in and Konta was left looking one-dimensional by the end.

Jo Konta left Wimbledon on Tuesday night bitterly disappointed, a Grand Slam semi-final appearance spurned. She also walked away with £294,000. Rewards come with scrutiny.

MIKE DICKSON IN NEW YORK: Hardly anyone walks tightrope of deciding sets as well as Jo Konta this year, and she successfully did so once again to make the last eight of the US Open.

MIKE DICKSON IN NEW YORK: Words with negative connotations are out when it comes to the work she does with Dimitri Zavialoff. The hairdryer is strictly confined to the hotel room.

SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford delivered the extraordinary tirade at PMQs, hammering Mr Johnson for describing muslim women in veils as 'letterboxes'.

MPs insisted Boris Johnson and rival Jeremy Hunt must 'prove' their commitment to the union during the campaign.

On his first visit to Scotland, Mr Johnson told the SNP leader the UK would leave the EU on Halloween. He was booed by protesters in Edinburgh.

Nicola Sturgeon warned that Jeremy Corbyn would have to take a 'very firm anti-Brexit position' in order for the parties to work together.

Sir Malcolm Rifkind delivered the stark message after allies of the PM made clear he will try to cling on if he is defeated on a confidence motion by rebel Tories determined to head off No Deal Brexit.

John McDonnell has been accused of treating Jeremy Corbyn 'like a puppet' amid claims he failed to warn the Labour leader the party would not block a second Scottish independence referendum.

Jeremy Corbyn met Ian Blackford, the Scottish nationalists' Westminster leader, yesterday to agree an election should only be held after Britain has secured another Brexit delay from the EU.

SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon broke ranks with other Remainers by suggesting that a confidence vote to oust Boris Johnson should be held before an extension is secured.

Labour has been stepping up the pressure for opposition parties to back Jeremy Corbyn as head of a 'unity' government to avoid No Deal Brexit.

Piers Morgan challenged Nicola  Sturgeon to 'suck it up' comparing her defeat in the 2014 Scottish independence referendum to Scotland's rugby loss to Japan yesterday.

The State Opening of Parliament saw Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn engage in one of the newer political traditions today - the awkward silent walk to the Lords.

Nicola Sturgeon today issued a fresh rallying cry for Scottish independence as she claimed the SNP is 'winning the case' for a split from the rest of the UK, but Downing Street was quick to rebuff her.

The SNP Westminster leader backs Mr Corbyn's (pictured) claim to be the best person to form a government if a no confidence vote against Boris Johnson succeeds.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson could get a Christmas general election. MPs from across the UK are set to vote on Mr Johnson's call for election.

The Labour leader was effectively given no choice but to cave in and back the PM's bill for a snap poll after it became clear it had Liberal Democrat and SNP support.

The scale of infighting within Labour was underlined last night when more than 100 of Jeremy Corbyn's own MPs ignored his orders to back holding a snap election.

The first minister of Scotland said that her party's message would be 'clear, simple and unambiguous - vote SNP to demand independence and secure Scotland's right to choose'.

Jeremy Corbyn said he last spoke to Ms Sturgeon around 10 days ago, insisting as leaders they had to speak regularly.

Jeremy Corbyn is ready to 'throw the UK under a bus' by forming a coalition with the SNP that would break up Britain, Michael Gove has warned. He said that Labour and the SNP were now 'in bed together'.

Ian Blackford said today the SNP will draw up a 'wish list' of demands ahead of potential post-election cooperation talks with Labour as he hinted scrapping Trident could be one of the party's red lines.

The Labour leader said he wanted to add 'realism' to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NNPT), with discussions about 'every country's nuclear weapons'.

Mr Johnson has poured cold water on the idea of sharing a stage with Ms Sturgeon, because he is only prepared 'to contest the debates with whoever theoretically could be Prime Minister.'

Lord Kerslake said the Labour party would 'need to have conversations' with the Liberal Democrats and SNP if the election produces a hung parliament. Labour played down the comments.

Boris Johnson today claimed Jeremy Corbyn is not 'tough enough' to stand up to Nicola Sturgeon and reject her demands for a second Scottish independence referendum.

John Nicholson, the candidate for the marginal seat of Ochil and South Perthshire, tried to rally supporters with a tub-thumping speech ahead of the tightly-fought ballot on December 12.

In a dramatic intervention, Dominic Cummings said the General Election was 'much tighter' than the polls suggested and warned of a 'very real possibility of a hung parliament'.

Nicola Sturgeon's plans for an independent Scotland suffered a hammer blow today after a leading think tank warned splitting from the UK would mean 'more not less austerity' north of the border.

Ms Sturgeon was filmed reacting to the Dunbartonshire East result while doing interviews at the Glasgow count, but has faced fierce criticism over her behaviour.