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Spain vs Sweden betting tips:
- Both teams to score – 11/10 with Bet365
- Spain to win – 23/20 with Betway
- Esther Gonzalez to score – 5/2 with William Hill
European heavyweights Spain and Sweden will battle for a place in the Women’s World Cup final when they clash in Auckland on Tuesday.
Bookmakers have installed Spain as the 7/4 favourites to win the tournament after they beat Netherlands 2-1 in the last round.
They have a wealth of world-class stars within their ranks, including Ballon d’Or Féminin winner Alexia Putellas.
However, the technically gifted Spaniards will need to be at their brilliant best to overcome a Sweden team that have delighted in defying the odds thus far.
The Swedes were underdogs in the last two rounds but they dumped USA out of the competition and then battled to a famous victory over Japan on Friday.
They are still unbeaten at this tournament and they also boast a great deal of quality in attack, so it promises to be an entertaining game.
Read on to learn more about both teams, the latest Women’s World Cup odds and to discover the reasoning behind our best bets on this semi-final showdown.
Back both teams to score in this game
Spain’s strength in depth was underscored when teenage forward Salma Paralluelo came off the bench to fire in a superb winner against Netherlands in the quarter-finals.
It took her tally to seven goals in 13 appearances for La Roja, cementing her status as one of the most promising youngsters in the world.
Yet the fierce competition for places in the starting XI means that she has only played a peripheral role at the tournament thus far.
Manager Jorge Vilda was also afforded the luxury of leaving Putellas – who was crowned the world’s best player for the past two years – on the bench, as she was nursing a minor injury.
Yet the Spaniards still looked devastating in attack, led by Real Madrid striker Esther Gonzalez, Barcelona winger Mariona Caldentey and Levante’s Alba Redondo.
Aitana Bonmati of Barcelona and Jenni Hermoso – who recently moved from Barça to Pachuca in Mexico – also pulled the strings with aplomb in midfield.
When he needed to change things up in the second half, Vilda unleashed Putellas and Paralluelo – both of whom play for Barcelona too – and Spain got the job done.
That star-studded Barça contingent will be crucial to Spain’s chances of beating Sweden in this game.
They will come up against teammate Fridolina Rolfö, the dynamic Swedish forward who helped power Barcelona to Champions League glory in May.
Rolfö played at left-back in the Champions League final but she enjoys a more advanced role for the national team, supporting Arsenal striker Stina Blackstenius and AC Milan’s Kosovare Asllani in attack.
The Swedes also have strength in depth up front, including Arsenal’s Lina Hurtig and Sofia Jakobsson of San Diego Wave.
They have fired in 11 goals in five games so far at this tournament and they looked dangerous on the counterattack when they beat Japan 2-1 in the last round.
Neither team looks particularly convincing at the back, so odds of 11/10 on both teams to score look very tempting.
Tip: Both teams to score – 11/10 with Bet365
Sweden’s luck could finally run out
Sweden defied their underdog status by holding on for a 0-0 draw after a gruelling 120 minutes against the USA in the last 16.
The Americans dominated possession, racking up 22 shots on goals and 11 on target, whereas USA goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher was a bystander.
Yet they ended up winning the penalty shootout, which resulted in a quarter-final clash with Japan, who had thumped Spain 4-0 in the group stage.
It was a tight game, which saw Japan miss a penalty, but the Swedes managed to scrape through courtesy of goals from Amanda Ilestedt and Filippa Angeldal.
Yet their luck may finally run out against this magnificent Spain team.
Spain have never previously beaten Sweden, so history is not on their side, and that 4-0 defeat to Japan does not bode well.
However, they thrashed Costa Rica and Zambia in the group stage, beat Switzerland 5-1 in the last 16 and got the better of a strong Dutch team last time out, so it is easy to see why they are the favourites on football betting sites.
Odds of 23/20 on them winning this match in 90 minutes look appealing, but you could hedge with a smaller stake on the draw at 23/10 if you anticipate this one going to extra time.
Tip: Spain to win – 23/20 with Betway
Time for Gonzalez to shine
Gonzalez has led the line for Spain in their last two games, and the prolific Real Madrid striker is likely to retain her place in the team on Tuesday.
She has only scored once at the tournament thus far, but she was a little unlucky to have a goal ruled out for offside against Netherlands.
Gonzalez has scored 26 times in 41 games for La Roja, and she should benefit from strong service from the likes of Bonmati, Jenni, Redondo and Putellas on Tuesday, so the odds on her finding the back of the net look attractive.
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Last Updated: 14th March 2024, 07:22 AM
