Sweden skipper Olof Mellberg said that England were favorites to win the World Cup and stressed that their Group B clash is going to be difficult.

"England are favorites to top group B, they are also favorites to win the World Cup," Mellberg told BBC on Saturday.

The 28-year-old defender is familiar with the English game as he has been playing in the Premiership since joining Aston Villa in 2001.

"We have to qualify to the next round before the England game as it'll be our toughest group game," Mellberg said.

The two teams are drawn together in Group B in the World Cup alongside Paraguay and Trinidad and Tobago, and they will plays on June 20th in their final group game.