Both sides will meet for a second time, having progressed from a tough group which included Italy and England, and the former Norrkoping boss feels they can be confident
Sweden Under-21 manager Hakan Ericson believes his side can enter the Under-21s European Championship final against Portugal with confidence after holding them to a 1-1 draw in the group stages.
A 4-1 victory against Denmark ensured the two will meet for a second time in this competition, following on from a stalemate in Group B courtesy of an 89th-minute equaliser from midfielder Simon Tibbling.
After seeing Portugal run riot against Germany in a 5-0 victory on Saturday, Ericson feels his side can only take confidence from the fact that they fared better in the group stages.
He said: "Some teams are quicker and more technical than us, but we are very well organised tactically.
"We have a team that thinks anything is possible and fantastic team spirit. So, it's possible to win football matches with those qualities.
"To reach the final after coming through a difficult group is a great boost for the team.
"Portugal showed they're a very good team, but we played them just a few weeks ago and we drew 1-1. They have now beaten a great football nation like Germany, so that boosts our confidence a lot."
Ericson made two changes for the semi-final from the side that drew with Portugal last time around, with Tibbling and Filip Helander replacing Branimir Hrgota and Joseph Baffo in Sweden's starting line-up.
Tibbling added to his tally in this competition with the second goal against Denmark and could keep his place, yet Baffo is expected to be available for selection after recovering from a shoulder injury.
Portugal, meanwhile, reached the final in 1994 - two years after Sweden lost to five-time winners Italy.
And while a side that contained Luis Figo were beaten by Italy by a single golden goal, Portugal boss Rui Jorge feels his current crop of players have enough quality to win their first trophy at this level.
He told reporters: "It is an historic moment for Portuguese football at Under-21 level. We've already reached one final in 1994 but that was in a different format so to get here is historic.
"When we picked this group [of players], we knew they had a lot of quality.
"Of course we had some fears when they came here about whether they could show all their qualities but we knew what they were capable of – playing against big teams like this one, [Germany], we've faced today."
Jorge has only one injury concern for Tuesday's final at Eden Stadium in the shape of Tiago Ilori, who was forced out of the starting eleven against Germany after aggravating a thigh injury in the warm-up.
Sweden and Portugal are both looking for their first European Under-21 Championship title as they prepare to meet in Tuesday's final in Prague.
The two teams were in the same group as England and drew 1-1 last week.
Portugal then thrashed pre-tournament favourites Germany 5-0 in the last four, with midfielders Bernardo Silva and William Carvalho impressing.
Sweden defeated Denmark 4-1 at the same stage, with ex-Manchester City and Celtic striker John Guidetti scoring.
Portugal's one doubt is English-born Liverpool defender Tiago Ilori, who hurt his thigh when the countries met at the group stage.
Sweden defender Joseph Baffo missed the semi-final with a shoulder injury but is expected to be fit.
Both sides have reached the final once before, with each losing to Italy. Sweden lost 2-1 on aggregate in 1992 and Portugal were beaten 1-0 two years later.
There will be a minute's silence before the game following the death of former Czechoslovakia midfielder Josef Masopust, the 1962 European footballer of the year, who has died at the age of 84.
Portugal vs. Sweden: Team News, Preview, Live Stream, TV Info for Euro U21 Final
The European Under-21 Championship has reached the final stage, where Portugal and Sweden, two Group B qualifiers earlier in the month, go head-to-head for the prize.
They met earlier in the competition in the final group game and drew 1-1, with Simon Tibbling's 89th-minute equaliser cancelling outGoncalo Paciencia's late strike.
Who will lift the trophy, following in the footsteps of Petr Cech, AndreaPirlo, Thiago Alcantara and more?
The Details
Stage: Final
Venue: Eden Stadium, Prague
Date: Tuesday, June 30, 2015
Time: 7:45 p.m. BST
Portugal Preview
Rui Jorge has only one concern ahead of this game: Will Tiago Ilori be fit to play? Tobias Figueiredo stepped in for the 5-0 mauling of Germany in the semi-final and looked brilliant, so perhaps it's not even that much of an issue.
@stighefootball
Possible Portugal XI.
The midfield four of William Carvalho, Joao Mario, Sergio Oliveira and Bernardo Silva have steamrolled everything they've come into contact with so far this tournament, and more of the same will be expected. Jorge had the luxury of taking Bernardo off after just 50 minutes against die Deutsche—job done at 4-0—so he'll be fresh as a fiddle for this one.
One area of possible improvement? The left-back play from RaphaelGuerreiro; the Lorient man has struggled in most aspects so far though the overall strength of the team has hidden much of this.
Sweden Preview
Sweden's approach to football is no closely guarded secret; where some managers tweak and freshen to keep others guessing, HakanEricson simply asks 100 percent effort, energy and tactical devotion to the same system every game. Thus far, it's proved a wise stroke.
With just one loss to their name from four games (against England, of all teams), the Swedes are entrenched in a 4-4-2 system that closes space between the lines and defends like 11 lives depend on it.
@stighefootball
Possible Sweden XI.
Joseph Baffo could come into the XI if his shoulder injury recovers, joining Alexander Milosevic at the expense of the distinctly less impressive Filip Helander. Tibbling should keep his spot on the right while the rest of the team is all set.
The John Guidetti-Isaac Kiese Thelin forward combination has been quietly excellent while the Oscars in midfield are underrated performers.
Where the Game Will Be Won
Much of the game and impending result will hinge upon the midfield battle, with Portugal's four men set to try to pull Sweden's two out of position. Bernardo will try to slip between the defence and the midfield, and William will try to find him with direct passes, but Lewickiand Hiljemark don't leave much room to play with.
Martin Rose/Getty Images
In the semi-final, Sweden brought out a new trick we'd not seen much of in this tournament: the attacking dynamic of the full-backs. VictorLindelof—of Benfica, coincidentally—ruled the right side and overran Jonas Knudsen of Denmark on occasion. It allows Sweden to hit the byline and get both Guidetti and Thelin into the box to feed off the service.
Forecasting how a Sweden goal could go in is easy due to their traditional play, but forecasting how a Portugal strike lands in the net is nearly impossible. They've scored all sorts from all angles so far, and the makeup of their forward line (neither player is a true striker) makes their movements difficult to anticipate and even more difficult to stop.
Prediction
It's starting to feel silly predicting Sweden to lose; they simply never roll over, always willing to take one last shot in defiance of the expected result. That said, Portugal have, in simple terms, looked by farthe best team in this competition over the course of four games, and we expect them to finish the job here.
Portugal 2-1 Sweden
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