BRASILIA, BRAZIL - AUGUST 12: Alex Morgan #13 of United States controls the ball against Nilla Fischer #5 of Sweden during the Women's Football Quarterfinal match at Mane Garrincha Stadium on Day 7 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games on August 12, 2016 in Brasilia, Brazil. Sweden won 1-1 (4-3 PSO) against the United States. (Photo by Celso Junior/Getty Images)
The U.S. Women’s National Team faces their toughest challenge to date against Sweden on Thursday, fighting for the top place of the group in the last game before the knockout rounds of the 2019 Women’s World Cup.
The United States have yet to concede a goal this tournament, beating Thailand 13-0 and Chile 3-0. Oddschecker has the United States at 1-3 odds to win against Sweden, who have 11-1 odds.
U.S. coach Jill Ellis has played 20 outfield players so far this tournament, prepping depth that could prove vital in the later stages of the tournament. Whoever Ellis decides to play against Sweden will likely be her strongest and favorite 11, and will probably play with a similar side in the first round of the knockout.
Sweden posses a strong front line led by Kosovare Asllani that will be tough to contain for the U.S. defense, who haven’t seen a major threat so far in this World Cup. Sweden is also 3-1-1 in their last five games when facing the United States.
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These two teams last faced off back in June of 2017, with the United States winning 1-0 in an international friendly.
Westgate released the odds for the winners of this 2019 World Cup, with the United States as favorites to defend their 2015 title with 2/1 odds. The next favorite is the host country France at 7/2 odds.
According to Fanduel, USA are favorites with -2 (+260) while Sweden is set at +2 (-145), with the o/u set at 2.5.
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If the United States wins or draws against Sweden, they will win Group F. The winner of this group is set to face Spain in the first round of 16 game. According to Sportsline, Spain are ranked 10th this year and have 25/1 odds of winning the 2019 World Cup. The runner-up of Group F will play the runner-up of Group E, which will be either the Netherlands or Canada. Canada is ranked just under Spain at 11th, while the Netherlands, who are likely to win the group, are 6th in the world, set at 14/1 odds to win it all.
The USWNT faces Sweden on Thursday at 3:00 p.m. EST, and the game will be broadcasted on FOX Sports 1 or can be streamed on the FOX Sports Go app.
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