Women’s World Cup: Familiarity Breeds Contempt for USA and Sweden

Sweden vs USA

USA’s three-peat bid here in the 2023 Women’s World Cup hasn’t been exactly a smooth ride considering their lofty standards, and now they will face an old foe here in the knockout stage.

By finishing second in Group E, the Stars and Stripes will take on the Swedes, who are the winners in Group G. Their Round of 16 match is going to take place at the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium this Sunday afternoon.

Sweden vs. USA is the most played matchup in Women’s World Cup history, but USA have dominated this particular fixture thus far. The pre-game SBOTOP betting odds favour Vlatko Andonovski’s side to win this weekend, but their margin for error is not as big as it was before.

Talking Points

Ilestedt shining bright for Sweden

Sweden are arguably the best team never to win a major tournament, so they’ve been on a mission in the Women’s World Cup. They put up a commanding performance in the group stage in Group G with their positive Women’s World Cup 2023 results, winning all of their matches with a goal difference of +8.

Veterans Caroline Seger and Kosovare Asiliani have done their bit for the Swedes, but the surprise package has been their centre-back, Amanda Ilestedt, who has been doing it all on both ends.

The Arsenal defender has been all over the place for the Swedes, starting in all three group stage games and helping her team secure clean sheets in their last two, and who would’ve thought that she was their top scorer with three goals?

Set pieces and crosses into the box are two of their main weapons in this competition, and Ilestedt has feasted on those opportunities. Despite standing only at 5’10”, Ilestedt has great positional awareness and the leaping ability to jump over her counterparts.

Fridolina Rolfo and Rebecka Blomqvist have also stepped up big for the Swedes, as they have recorded two goals apiece. Both are quality players, as Rolfo plays for Barcelona while Blomqvist plies her trade at VfL Wolfsburg.

Sofia Jakobsson and Jonna Andersson may have yet to score goals in this tournament, but they can breach opposing defences too since they have recorded two assists thus far.

USA lacking killer instinct

Carli Lloyd questioned the Stars and Stripes mentality recently, which has drawn mixed reactions. The former USA midfielder didn’t like it when her compatriots were dancing and smiling following their nervy draw against Portugal, saying that they were lucky not to be going home right now.

She has a point because they were, in fact, almost eliminated. Following their tough draw against Netherlands, they needed to fend off a well-drilled Portugal squad in order to advance.

Portugal almost defeated USA in stoppage time when Ana Capeta hit the post. If the shot went in, that would’ve sent the Stars and Stripes crashing out of the tournament.

Captain Lindsey Horan, among others, was not a fan of Lloyd’s comments. However, the fact remains that they should be much better against Sweden this weekend, and they are very capable given their stacked squad.

History

As mentioned earlier, Sweden and USA have a history here in the Women’s World Cup, although this is going to be the first time that they’ll square off in the knockout stage.

In the six games prior to this Sunday, the Stars and Stripes have dominated the Women’s World Cup head-to-heads with four wins, one draw, and one loss against the Swedes, which was a 2-1 group stage loss in 2011 that basically gave Sweden the top spot in Group C.

Sweden and USA first faced off in the first group match of the 1991 edition of this tournament and have played in every Women’s World Cup since 2003.

Their most recent meeting in the Women’s World Cup was in 2019, where USA defeated Sweden 2-0 in the final group stage match, and they eventually successfully defended their title.

Overall, Sweden are the fourth-most commonly played opponent in USA history, behind Canada, China, and Norway. Since 1987, they’ve met a total of 42 times across all competitions, with USA winning 23 times and Sweden winning seven times, along with 12 draws.

Betting Tip

The Women’s World Cup 2023 odds predict a tight affair between Sweden and USA. USA have the slight edge at 2.21, whereas Sweden aren’t far behind at 2.95, and a draw is priced at 3.05 in the 1X2 market. This is a tough call because USA look vulnerable, and we wouldn’t be surprised if the Swedes somehow eliminated the Stars and Stripes.

 

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