Sweden's 5-1 crushing of Tunisia in the opening match has given the entire country World Cup fever.
When the blue and yellow team now enters its second group stage match in North America, the team does so on Midsummer Day itself - a holiday when Sweden has enjoyed World Cup success in the past.
The team that would go on to win the bronze medal in 1994 turned around and beat Russia on Midsummer Eve, and in 1974 Sweden beat Uruguay (3–0) on Midsummer Sunday.
Both sports scientist Torbjörn Andersson and Jesper Högström agree that today's date gives the match an extra dimension.
Midsummer is almost our unofficial national holiday, a time when Swedes are at their best. A victory against such an entertaining and well-respected team as the Netherlands would be very big, says Andersson, associate professor of sports science at Malmö University.
The importance of a good commentator
So what really determines whether a match becomes a fairy tale that people tell their grandchildren?
The result, of course, plays a decisive role, but the contribution of the TV and radio commentators should not be underestimated, says Högström, who has written the book "Blågult: the Swedish national football team through 100 years".
It becomes an incredibly important part of the whole story, he says, highlighting some classic examples:
I still remember when Ralf Edström scored 1–0 against West Germany in 1974 and Bengt Grive shouted, 'What time is it?' Or in 1994 against Russia, when Martin Dahlin scored and Arne Hegerfors said, 'Now we celebrate Midsummer in the Pontiac Silverdome.'
Top five in history
Torbjörn Andersson believes that a high-scoring match can play a bigger role than important World Cup points.
"It will probably be more famous if it ends 4-3 to the Netherlands than if it ends 0-0. Then you don't feel any shame. It takes a bit of fun playing and a bit of technical finesse," he says.
How far will it go in the history books?
It probably won't be the biggest, but it can definitely make it into the top five, says Andersson.
The match kicks off at 7:00 p.m.
