Germany Women vs Sweden Women Predictions

Just as they did during the groups, Germany strolled to victory in the last-16, as they beat Nigeria by three goals to nil. As the only side left in the tournament to have a 100% clean sheet record, the Germans will fancy themselves to continue their progress, though Sweden are no pushovers, so Die Nationalelf may have to take it up a notch.

It really is hard to criticise Germany for their efforts at this tournament. Right from the word go, they’ve looked like a solid side, a side that is well and truly cut out for the test of tournament football. Martina Voss-Tecklenburg’s women have given next to nothing away, as they’ve kept four consecutive clean sheets, shipping an average of only 0.44 expected goals. What’s more, they’ve done a good job at the other end, scoring an average of 2.25 and averaging a pleasing 2.5 expected goals for.

Facing Nigeria was never going to be the toughest test, though the Germans could hardly have made lighter work of brushing aside their opponents. We could say that they’ve had an easy run, but it’s worth remembering that they were in full control when beating Spain, who just a couple of days ago pushed USA all the way, during the groups.

As for Sweden, well they too have created a positive impression in France. They easily got out of their group, while they delivered the perfect tournament performance to see off Canada last time out.

Against the Canadians, Sweden weren’t exactly completely dominant from start to finish, but they did an excellent job of staying in the game before pouncing early in the second half. The way in which they restricted their opponents to few clear-cut chances was pleasing, while they also looked like a side that is efficient when in possession.

However, the worry for Sweden is that they failed to get seriously competitive against USA in the groups. On that occasion, they didn’t allow USA to have it all their own way, while they did a good job of frustrating for long periods, but Peter Gerhardsson’s men struggled to create, as they registered only two shots on target and posted just 0.85 expected goals for.

From a betting point of view, ‘Germany to Win & Under 3.5 Goals’ stands out as a viable option. The Swedes aren’t easy to overcome, so the Germans aren’t likely to run riot, though a lack of forward penetration could ultimately cost Sweden against a side that gives both very little away and that has more firepower.