Following the conclusion of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup Knockout Round, we are now left with just eight teams remaining. Given all of the shocking results and upsets, it should provide for an intriguing slate of soccer games throughout this weekend.
With the two-time reigning champions, United States, now eliminated, the World Cup is wide open for the remaining squads. A reminder that from this point forward, matches cannot end in a Draw. If the two teams are in fact tied at the end of the regulation 90 minutes, thirty minutes of extra-time will be followed by the dreaded penalty shootout.
The remaining squads are now placed into a fixed bracket, all building toward the eventual Women’s World Cup Final on Sunday, August 20th from Sydney, Australia.
Let’s take a closer look at these exciting Quarterfinal matchups and odds. via the best Women’s World Cup betting sites, and make our predictions on which teams will advance to the Semifinals.
Additionally, we’re offering a World Cup Quarterfinal Parlay Card for those wanting extra action on this round of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. All odds are courtesy of Bovada.
Spain (-110) / vs. Netherlands (+350)
Thursday, August 10th
What a match to kick-off the next four games as Spain takes on the Netherlands in this ‘do or die’ clash. La Roja cruised past Switzerland as they showed their talent and depth in the process. This is a loaded roster and coach Jorge Vilda is well-aware of it, claiming that his squad is “unmatched” at the end of their rout against the Swiss.
The Spaniards will finally receive a stiff test in the Quarterfinals, as the veteran Dutch side is no pushover. They went toe-to-toe with the United States back in the group stage, and have been incredibly solid with their structure and organization off of the ball.
Jorge Vilda: “I have the 23 best players in the world” pic.twitter.com/XOnP2IqrPT
— total Barça (@totalBarca) August 5, 2023
Spain will look to control this match by winning the ball and possessing it for long stretches. Their attack remains one of the most creative in women’s soccer at the moment, and it’s their on-ball skill that consistently unlocks tight defenses.
Spain’s Alexia Putellas has been dynamic at the World Cup, and has a real ability to break down any defense. The upfront trio of Gonzalez, Paralleulo, and Redondo has proven to be a handful for any back-line.
The Dutch enter with some concerns of their own, as it’s believed that Merel van Dongen and Danielle van de Donk will both miss out in this crucial fixture. Those are two key pieces to the Netherlands’ team defense.
Without their full roster, it’s going to be tough to keep La Roja in check. The Spanish have shown the ability to be the best in the world when they want to be, and expect them to again rise to the occasion in this clash. At -110 odds, we really like the value found at soccer betting sites.
Japan (+125) vs. Sweden (+230)
Friday, August 11th
Japan has dominated the competition so far at this year’s World Cup. Many pundits knew this was a solid group, but their offensive display and dynamic on-ball ability have been a real difference-maker. They enter the weekend fresh off a 3-1 dismantling of a powerful Norwegian side.
The Swedes are a veteran-laden group, who arguably play the best team defense of any side remaining in the competition. Sweden knows what it takes to be successful, and their cohesion and organization when defending can frustrate skilled teams with lots of pace.
We just saw them rattle the United States for 120 minutes, and there’s no reason they cannot repeat that formula to be successful against Japan.
1991: Sweden 8-0 Japan
1995: Sweden 2-0 Japan
2011: Sweden 1-3 JapanThey meet again soon at the #FIFAWWC! 🇸🇪🇯🇵
— FIFA Women’s World Cup (@FIFAWWC) August 8, 2023
Expect a cagey affair with Sweden content to allow Japan the bulk of possession. Sweden can be lethal on set-pieces and the counter-attack. They will simply bide their time, looking for the best opportunity to pounce. Given how solid the Swedes have been on defense, it’s tough to envision Japan finding any holes.
For the Swedes, Amanda Ilestedt has been dominant in the centre of defense as she leads the World Cup with 25 clearances and 16 intercepted balls. She has been supported by dominant play from both Magdalena Eriksson and Nathalie Bjorn.
Those three have formed the best back-line at the World Cup, and the Japanese attacking trio of Hanata Miyazawa, Mina Tanaka, and Riko Ueki, will surely have their work cut out for them.
This Japanese side has been quite the story thus far, but they’re receiving a tad too much respect in the current betting line from sports betting sites, especially given their competition to date.
Look for a low-scoring match with both rosters so organized and disciplined, and ultimately one that could require extra time and penalties. If we are forced into a selection on the side, we’ll back Sweden’s experience and resolve to progress into the semis.
Australia (+275) vs. France (+110)
Saturday, August 12th
After some bumps in the group stage, the host Australians have rebounded nicely to progress to the Quarterfinals. They played a perfect match against an upstart Denmark side in the Round of 16, showing some good team defense and clinical finishing in the process.
That’s all great for Australia, but the hometown party is likely to come to a crashing thud when they play host to France this weekend.
Les Bleus currently enter in excellent form, and Herve Renard’s side appear to be the squad to beat. This was my pre-tournament selection to hoist the World Cup trophy on August 20th, and they have lived up to their lofty expectations thus far.
France has been absolutely solid on defense, with excellent goaltending and off-ball organization. Captain Wendie Renard is now fully fit and played a key role in the 2-1 French victory over Brazil in a pivotal group stage clash.
Up front, Kadidiatou Diani remains one of the Golden Boot favorites, and her partnership with Eugenie Le Sommer has been an absolute handful for defenses. It’s a formidable tandem, which Australia will most certainly struggle against this French offense.
🗓️ 2022: Left out of squad for European Championships ❌
🗓️ 2023: Recalled by coach Hervé Renard and becomes France’s top scorer at World Cups ⚽️
Eugénie Le Sommer proving a point 🇫🇷🔥 pic.twitter.com/xAoiczmaSx
— SPORTbible (@sportbible) August 8, 2023
One of the biggest storylines approaching this match, is the ongoing saga of Australia’s top talent, Sam Kerr. The team has been incredibly muted on her status to date, and she’s played very sparingly throughout the tournament.
Kerr is reportedly battling a nagging calf injury, and has only been able to feature off the bench thus far. We don’t expect anything to change prior to this showdown against France.
With the offensive talent on display in this match, expect lots of chances and goals. It’s tough to envision a hungry and battle-tested Australia group going down in front of their home fans without a worthy fight. Unfortunately, the talent, depth, and power of this France squad will be too much to overcome.
France beats teams in a multitude of different ways, and look for them to overwhelm the Matildas in a match filled with goals. Expect the French to prevail, but with both teams finding the net in this clash.
England (-200) vs. Colombia (+600)
Saturday, August 12th
It has been an underwhelming tournament to date for a powerful English side, though they have always remained in control. The Lionesses have yet to overwhelm teams with their offensive firepower or depth, and have advanced to the Quarterfinals off a narrow penalty shootout win against a surprising Nigerian side.
It isn’t overly inspiring, but you cannot argue how solid they’ve been on defense. They have conceded just one goal across four fixtures thus far, and have proven to be nearly impossible to break down.
That will provide an interesting contrast in matchup against Colombia, who has proven to be a fascinating side at this year’s World Cup. They play fast, chase goals, and with them already far exceeding any pre-tournament expectations, look for the Colombians to continue with their style by not backing down against a favored England side.
Despite being relatively unknown, this heralded Colombian attack created a wealth of expected goals across their three group stage matches, with talented forward Linda Caicedo leading the offensive push.
🎙 “Both teams are competitive with different styles of football”
Fadumo Olow looks ahead to England’s World Cup quarter-final clash against Colombia 🏴🇨🇴 pic.twitter.com/V1Jpgwcu8Z
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) August 8, 2023
The 18-year-old has invigorated the Colombian offense with her excellent striking and crafty dribbling. This squad won’t be intimidated by anyone, as Colombia arguably pulled off the upset of the tournament by knocking out Germany with a 2-1 defeat.
It was a match where Colombia showed their resilience and willingness to engage in physicality against a bigger and more experienced opponent.
However, England will push the Colombians and test them like they’ve never been tested before. The Lionesses are powerful on defense and won’t get caught off-guard in set piece defending.
Between the pipes, Mary Earps has been outstanding and is a candidate to win the Golden Glove Award. This is a deep roster, loaded with experience and ball-winners throughout the lineup.
Alessia Russo will step in for the suspended Lauren James, and she has been elite leading the line of attack for England. Her unique blend of size, speed, and dribbling ability should really overwhelm a Colombian back-line that hasn’t faced a team the caliber of England.
The odds are chalky, but we feel quite confident in seeing England prevail inside the 90 minutes.
2023 Women’s World Cup Quarterfinal Parlay Card
- Spain To Win & Under 2.5 Goals (+275) vs. Netherlands
- Sweden To Win On Penalties (+900) vs. Japan
- France To Win & Both Teams To Score (+240) vs. Australia
- England To Win To Nil (+100) vs. Colombia
You can see that we’ve chased some lofty odds of +25400 in our four-leg parlay, but we feel good about the value we are getting on all four legs. This would mean a $10 wager would return $2,550!
We expect Spain to eventually prevail in a cagey affair, but with the Dutch limiting them from an onslaught.
The Sweden vs. Japan match seems like it’s destined for penalties given the stubborn nature of both sides. Given the fact that Sweden has already progressed on penalties, we can side with their experience.
Meanwhile, France and Australia are two of the more offensively-inclined sides remaining, and goals should be in store. And finally, England should dominate from start to finish against an overmatched Colombian side.
These four clashes should produce excitement, with great betting opportunities scattered throughout the Quarterfinals.
Sources
https://www.si.com/soccer/2023/08/18/womens-world-cup-final-preview-predictions-spain-england
