The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup heads into the knockout rounds as of Friday with the Round of 16. In one of the most tantalizing fixtures of the lot, The United States, who are seeking their third straight title, lock horns with a strong Sweden side at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium on Sunday morning. The kick-off is scheduled for 5 AM ET. The Americans last played Sweden in the 2019 edition, beating them 2-0. However, this will not be an easy match for either team, especially with the Swedes coming in with momentum having won all three of their group games. The USWNT meanwhile looked rather poor in the opening stage, settling for five points and finishing second in their pod behind 19′ runners-up the Netherlands. Below, find the Sweden vs USA picks.
Before we get into the odds, preview, and picks, check out the biggest Vegas online soccer betting sites if you plan to bet on the World Cup.
The US is technically the favorite here but not by much. They own +115 odds at BetOnline. Sweden comes back at +261. A draw meanwhile is priced at +225. The Scandinavian outfit has actually taken down the Americans seven times before but in the World Cup, the USWNT is the better club, notching four wins while settling for a draw and one loss to the Swedish. This is the sixth consecutive World Cup they will go to battle but it’s the first time the two meet in the knockouts.
Sweden, who is ranked No. 3 in the world, made their presence strongly felt in Group G with a perfect nine points. While their first victory over South Africa was a 2-1 nailbiter, the Swedes came out firing and ultimately throttled Italy 5-0 before taking care of Argentina, 2-0. They’ve now netted nine times in the tournament and conceded just once. The Swedish couldn’t be in better shape right now.
Rebecka Blomqvist got her side off the mark against the Argentines on matchday three in the 66th minute and then substitute Elin Rubensson added insurance in injury time to seal the deal. The real star in the final third so far in the competition however has been defender Amanda Ilestedt, who surprisingly leads the squad with three goals. She scored a brace against the Italians. Blomqvist also has two goals to her name, while talisman Stine Blackstenius, arguably their best player, has netted once.
While Sweden isn’t exactly dominant against the US in the World Cup, the track record of success elsewhere is a reason for optimism. They defeated the Americans 3-0 in the 2020 Olympics as well and clearly look like the better side coming into Sunday. Nevertheless, you know they won’t be taking the title-holders for granted.
Although there were some doubts about the USWNT heading into the World Cup considering how young the squad is and how many key players were missing through injury, I don’t think anyone expected them to look this disappointing. A 3-0 win over Vietnam was a good start, but a 1-1 draw with the Dutch where they frankly could’ve lost wasn’t great. A scoreless stalemate with Portugal also left fans on the edge of their seats, especially because the Portuguese were just inches away from winning, having rattled the post late in the fixture.
The Americans are usually clinical in front of goal but that’s been far from the case. Sophia Smith hasn’t got going since scoring a brace on matchday one, Alex Morgan isn’t looking like herself, and just overall, there’s a lack of fire at the moment up top. That’s a big reason they finished second in their group behind Holland.
The States have performed so poorly that Carli Lloyd openly criticized her former team as a TV pundit which resulted in Lindsey Horan hitting back and defending the squad. The reality is Vlatko Andonovski’s group isn’t playing up to par and if they can’t show up Sunday, an early exit will be in the cards. Sweden is confident, physical, and motivated as ever to finally overcome the US on the biggest stage in football.
I honestly like Sweden here. The Americans aren’t the same team as four years ago and the Swedes are firing on all cylinders. Take the moneyline.
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