The Matildas suffered a heartbreaking defeat against England in the semi-finals on Wednesday night, but their 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup campaign isn’t over just yet. They’ll now take on Sweden, who lost their semi-final matchup with Spain, on Saturday night in a 3rd place playoff.
Check out our preview and best bet for the Sweden vs Australia 3rd place playoff below and as always, good luck to everyone following!
2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup Betting Tips
Sweden vs Australia
Saturday 6pm AEST, August 19th, Suncorp Stadium (Brisbane)
Although the chance of winning the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup has come and gone for both Sweden and Australia, third place is still on offer and what a result it would be for both nations who weren’t highly-fancied at the beginning of the tournament.
First to bow out of the running for the World Cup was Sweden on Tuesday night after they suffered a 2-1 defeat against Spain in what was an absolute roller-coaster. The Swedes fell behind 1-0 in the 81st minute before finding an equaliser in the 88th, only to concede one minute later in the 89th minute.
And although they would be bitterly disappointed to lose in such fashion, it’s fair to say that Spain were the much better team on the night and deserved to secure the win in regulation time. Spain led the shot count 14-5, possession 57%-43%, and also had 1.83 expected goals compared to Sweden’s 0.79.
That loss was the first of the tournament for the world #3 ranked Swedes, although they were probably due for a loss after riding their luck in both knockout stage wins against the USA and Japan. Sweden have now made it to the semi-finals in 5/9 World Cups, but have bowed out at the same stage in four of them.
Also seeing their World Cup hopes come to an end midweek was the co-hosts, Australia. They were unfortunately no match for one of the world’s powerhouses in England who defeated them 3-1 in fairly convincing fashion.
Regardless of their defeat last start, this tournament has been a massive success for the Matildas who have captured the hearts of all Australians – smashing all-time viewership records on numerous occasions. This is undoubtedly only the beggining for the Matildas who have certainly announced themselves on the world stage.
Still, there’s one match to go for the co-hosts and they’ve made their intentions clear that they’re desperate to finish this tournament on the podium. Doing so would be a phenomenal achievement considering their best result at a World Cup prior to this was a trio of quarterfinal finishes in 2007, 2011, and 2015.
With Sweden and Australia having just three days and two days rest between games respectively, I think you can assume both managers will rotate some of their players ahead of this fixture to ensure their side remains fresh. Fortunately, both sides have shown they have great depth and are equipped with multiple players who can come off the bench and make an impact.
Both nations will be desperate to finish the tournament in style and now with no World Cup trophy on offer, I expect the shackles to be released a bit and to see a more attacking match from the opening whistle. With that in mind, taking the overs in total goals market looks to be the best bet.
Over 2.5 Goals
$1.87 (2 Units)
