![]() ![]() However, France may not get a chance to earn that achievement. It took fourth at the 2012 Olympics and lost in the quarters of the 2016 Olympics.Ī win over the co-host would move France into a likely semifinal with England, where it will have a chance to erase all of its demons from the past to reach a final. It had three straight quarterfinal eliminations at the Euros before then. It lost to Germany in the semifinals of Euro 2022. Her status is unknown for Saturday.įrance is participating in its fourth straight World Cup quarterfinal, but its last win in the final eight came at the start of that streak in 2011.įrance has a long history of coming up one or two games short of the final at the Euros, Olympics and World Cup. The Chelsea star has been dealing with a calf injury since the World Cup opener. The pre-World Cup result should send a wave of confidence throughout the Australian squad, as should playing in front of a home crowd in Brisbane.Īustralia's semifinal chances increase if Sam Kerr is healthy. The Matildas beat France 1-0 on July 14 in Melbourne. ![]() The co-host versus European power showdown highlights the quarterfinal schedule.Īustralia enters its match with France off back-to-back clean sheets on home soil and with a recent win over Les Bleues. Sweden can still earn a semifinal berth, but the circumstances around the match and Japan's incredible form will make it difficult.ĭamian Briggs/Speed Media/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Sweden had to get to Auckland from Melbourne. Japan beat Norway in regulation and only had to travel across New Zealand from Wellington to Auckland. Sweden is at a disadvantage because of the extra 30 minutes and penalties and the travel in between rounds. ![]() The Swedes had a bend-not-break defensive performance against the United States in which they absorbed 11 shots on goal over 120 minutes. Japan is led by Golden Boot leader Hinata Miyazawa, who has three goals in the last two contests and five overall tallies.Ĭontaining Miyazawa must be one of Sweden's many defensive goals. Japan won in 2011 and finished second in 2015. Those performances should have Sweden worried about its round-of-16 bout with the only nation left in the field with a WWC title. The Nadeshiko thrashed Spain in their group-stage finale and they were ruthless against Norway in the round of 16. Japan has arguably been the best team in the tournament. Joe Serci/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images The Dutch carry the X-factor of experience this deep in the tournament, and that could be the difference-maker if the game is tight and moves into extra time or penalties. Spain has an in-form scorer in Jenni Hermoso, and two-time Ballon d'Or winner Alexia Putellas is still waiting for her breakout game of the tournament, but the Dutch can match the talent in most areas of the pitch. The Netherlands have a trio of forward, led by Lieke Mertens, who can threaten Spain on the counter attack, similar to what Japan did, and hit the Spanish through extended spells of possession that end in scoring chances. Their lone result against a quarterfinalist was a blowout loss to Japan. La Roja did have the better round-of-16 performance, as they powered five goals past Switzerland, but that was an expected result. Her presence is massive, but it is not enough to make Dutch this big of an underdog in the matchup with Spain. The Dutch will be without midfielder Danielle van de Donk due to yellow-card accumulation. The 2019 World Cup runner-up is a decided underdog against a Spain side making its first-ever WWC quarterfinal appearance. The Netherlands have the strangest betting price attached to them of the eight quarterfinalists. The Lionesses are the largest favorite across the four matches, and they have the lowest odds to win the World Cup title.Įngland, Colombia, France and Australia are all after their first-ever World Cup final appearance out of the bottom half of the knockout-round bracket. Spain and Japan are favored to meet for the second time in the tournament in the semifinals, but as we have seen throughout the event, the favorite tag sometimes doesn't matter.Įngland is hoping the trend of upsets ends in its quarterfinal against Colombia, the one surprise side in the final eight. Japan resides in the tougher side of the knockout-round bracket, though, as Spain, 2019 runner-up Netherlands and Sweden are vying for a spot in the championship match. ![]() Japan was the last non-United States squad to win the title in 2011, and it has arguably looked the best of the eight teams left in Australia and New Zealand. The 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup only has one previous champion left in the quarterfinal field. ![]()
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