Can the Swedes knock the next favourites out of the tournament?

On Friday, Japan and Sweden will meet in the quarter-finals of the Women’s World Cup. It is the duel of two top teams in women’s football and thus tension seems to be inevitable. The Japanese have played an almost flawless tournament so far and are therefore slightly favoured. Sweden, on the other hand, are somewhat lucky to have reached the quarter-finals. Therefore, the bookmakers’ betting odds between Japan and Sweden also tend to favour a victory for the Japanese team.

Japan are no strangers to women’s football and were even world champions in 2011. Four years later, the Japanese women also reached the final and won the silver medal. The Japanese team has thus been very successful and is therefore also in eighth place in the perpetual World Cup standings. With a win against Sweden, Futoshi Ikeda’s team could even overtake China and secure seventh place.

Sweden, however, are also one of the most successful teams in women’s football. However, they have not really hit the big time. In 2003, the Swedes reached the final, but were beaten by Germany. Since the Swedish team won three bronze medals in addition to one silver, there are hardly any nations with more medals. For this reason, the odds of the betting companies are quite close between Japan and Sweden.

We recommend betting on a win for the Japanese women between Japan and Sweden. The Japanese team has played an outstanding tournament so far and has already defeated two big names in women’s football, Spain and Norway. That is why we believe Futoshi Ikeda’s team will make it to the semi-finals and even win the big one. The Swedes, on the other hand, are somewhat lucky to be in the quarter-finals and should have been eliminated against the USA.

Japan – Statistics & current form

Japan beat Costa Rica, Zambia and Spain in Group C. The team led by Futoshi was able to keep the pressure off the USA. Futoshi Ikeda’s team did not drop a single point and dispatched the Spaniards 4-0. They then beat Norway in the round of 16 to advance to the quarter-finals. The Japanese are the only team in the tournament to have won all four matches so far. Therefore, it is no wonder that the Japanese selection has become the secret favourite in the meantime.

Dominance in the Round of 16

The Japanese won 3:1 against Norway in the round of 16 and were the better team over 90 minutes. Futoshi Ikeda’s team scored 16 goals and at the same time hardly conceded anything. Even after conceding the first goal of the tournament, Japan did not let their composure get the better of them. All in all, it was a very dominant performance and a more than deserved victory.

Best attack of the World Cup

With 14 goals in four games, Japan has the best attack of the World Cup. It is particularly remarkable that the Japanese women found their way into the opponent’s goal at least twice in all games. A goal against the Swedes seems almost inevitable.

The key player for the Japanese team is clearly Hinata Miyazawa. The Mynavi Sendai winger has already scored five goals, making her the top scorer at this World Cup. It would therefore be no surprise if one or two of the top teams came knocking on the door of the 23-year-old attacker after the tournament.

Strong defensive work

After going without conceding a goal in their first three matches at this World Cup, Japan conceded their first goal of the tournament against Norway in the Round of 16. In addition, Japan have only conceded three major chances so far. Futoshi Ikeda’s team has one of the best defences at this World Cup. England, Sweden and the Netherlands are the only three other teams to have conceded just one goal.

Predicted Japan line-up:

Japan (Expected line-up) 3-4-3

Sweden – Statistics & current form

Sweden also prevailed in the group stage without dropping a point and thus advanced to the round of 16 in commanding fashion. However, in a group with South Africa, Italy and Argentina, progress was also a foregone conclusion, so winning the group was not a real yardstick. This was also evident in the match against the USA, where Peter Gerhardsson’s team was outplayed for 90 minutes. Their place in the quarter-finals at this World Cup was therefore very flattering.

Outstanding goalkeeper

Zecira Musovic was instrumental in the success against the USA. The Chelsea FC goalkeeper played an outstanding game against the USA and saved eleven shots on goal. That was certainly the reason why the Americans lost their nerve in the penalty shoot-out. The 27-year-old goalkeeper could also be in the spotlight against Japan and will certainly have her work cut out for her.

Qualities on the offensive

With nine goals in four games, Sweden has one of the weakest offences of the remaining eight teams. With Colombia, there is only one team that has found its way into the opponent’s goal even less often. Nevertheless, the offensive qualities are there and should not be underestimated.

The big weapon of the Swedes are clearly their standards. With Amanda Ilestedt, Fridolina Rolfö and Jonna Andersson, three defenders are among the most dangerous players in the team. The defensive trio have already been directly involved in seven goals at this World Cup.

Defensively stable

The Swedish backline has made a very good impression so far and even managed to keep a clean sheet against the USA. This is the third time Peter Gerhardsson’s team has gone without conceding a goal. The Swedish defence will certainly be challenged again against Japan’s strong attack and could therefore play a key role in the game.

Predicted Sweden line-up:

Sweden (Expected line-up) 4-2-3-1

Japan – Sweden Direct Comparison / H2H Balance

The direct comparison between the two teams goes to Japan. The Japanese won four duels against Sweden, while two games ended in a draw and the Swedish selection could only pick up two victories. The last time the two teams met was at the 2021 Olympic Games, where the final score was 1-3 in favour of Japan. In the meantime, however, the balance of power seems to have turned. Therefore, our prediction between Japan and Sweden is more in favour of a victory for the Japanese team.

Japan – Sweden Tip

We play the tip “Japan qualifies” between Japan and Sweden. Japan are doing an outstanding job offensively and defensively and are the team of the tournament so far. Therefore, we find it very difficult to imagine that the Swedes will make it to the semi-finals. Especially in the offensive the necessary power is missing and therefore a victory of the Swedish team would be quite surprising.

Alternatively, we recommend the odds for “both teams score – no” between Japan and Sweden. This is primarily due to the fact that both teams are very compact defensively and allow few chances. Even a goalless draw therefore does not seem improbable.