Sweden vs USA
It’s been smooth sailing for the U.S. women’s national team thus far in the Women’s World Cup. The USWNT have claimed two wins out of two, with an aggregate score of 16-0.
But while they’ve qualified for the last 16, the Americans don’t have top spot in Group F all sewn up just yet. That’s because Sweden also have a 100 per cent record through two matches.
The two will now square off to determine the group winner, who will be on a collision course with fellow top contenders France in the quarter-finals.
This will be by far the Americans’ toughest test to date, and the Sweden vs USA betting odds bear that out. Still, the defending champions will look to pass it with flying colours ahead of the knockout stage.
Talking Points
Sweden looking solid
Sweden’s start to the tournament wasn’t all too impressive as they laboured to a 2-0 win over Chile. Moreover, they had to wait until the 83rd minute for star attacker Kosovare Asllani to break the deadlock.
But to be fair to Sweden, Chile goalkeeper Christiane Endler has proven to be in outstanding form in this tournament. After her tremendous performance to keep the Swedes at bay, she also prevented the USWNT from winning by a much wider margin.
But Sweden did look much better in their second match against Thailand as they produced a handful of Women’s World Cup 2019 highlights. They stamped their class against their overmatched opponents en route to a convincing 5-1 win. Asllani once again got her name on the scoresheet as the Swedes had five different goalscorers.
The Swedes aren’t usually that prolific in front of goal, though. They don’t have the firepower to get in a shootout with the U.S. and come out on top. Then again, very few teams in the world do.
But Sweden do still have some skilful and talented attackers on the wing capable of asking questions of the American full-backs, who are among the weaker players on the team.
Unstoppable USWNT will be well-rested
The defending champions have taken care of business in impressive fashion during the group stage. After their record-breaking 13-0 win over Thailand to start the tournament, they picked up another comfortable 3-0 win over Chile.
It speaks to the Americans’ amazing depth that they had the luxury of sitting seven starters against Chile — including five-goal hero Alex Morgan, Tobin Heath, and Megan Rapinoe — and replacing them with players like 2015 Women’s World Cup hero Carli Lloyd, who proceeded to score two goals.
The star trio should be fresh and ready to go against the Swedes, which is yet another advantage for the Americans.
The U.S. only need to avoid defeat to secure top spot over the Swedes due to a superior goal difference. But of course, the Americans will no doubt be gunning to preserve their 100 per cent record and continue to build momentum heading into the knockout stage.
With all the attacking talent U.S. coach Jill Ellis has at her disposal, it’s hard to see how this team doesn’t find the back of the net. With Morgan, Heath, and Rapinoe set to return to the starting XI, Mallory Pugh, Lloyd, and Christen Press will be available as options off the bench if needed.
The U.S. also displayed their terrific ability on set pieces against Chile, with Lloyd and Julie Ertz both scoring from corner kicks. The Swedes are not particularly strong defending set plays, which the Americans will likely look to expose anytime they get the chance.
History
The USA and Sweden have squared off against one another 38 times in history. Unsurprisingly, the U.S. hold the edge in those head-to-heads with 20 wins to 11 for Sweden, along with seven draws.
The U.S. beat Sweden, 1-0, in their most recent meeting, which was an international friendly back in 2017.
Somewhat surprisingly, though, it’s that’s the first win the Americans have had over Sweden in quite a while. The Swedes are 3-1-1 (W-D-L) in their last five matches against the USA.
Betting Tip
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Sweden vs USA | Over 2.75 Goals @ 1.98 |
| June 21, 03:00 (GMT+8) |
SBOBET odds currently have the USA priced at 1.29 to win on the 1X2 market, with Sweden at 7.40. Based on recent history, taking a punt on Sweden pulling the upset doesn’t seem so wild.
But for this betting tip, I would like to offer up the total goals to go over 2.75. Obviously, the Americans have been banging in the goals to start the tournament, and even though the Swedes possess a strong defence, the U.S. are still more than capable of getting a couple of goals.
The Swedes’ ability to breach the American goal for the first time also shouldn’t be discounted. Asllani and Sofia Jakobsson are both top-quality forwards who can give the U.S. problems.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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|---|---|---|---|
 = €20 (Highly confident) |
= €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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