Sweden vs South Africa
Women’s World Cup
Group G
Sunday
23rd July 2023
Sky Stadium
Preview, analysis and predictions for the Group G Women’s World Cup fixture between Sweden and South Africa.
Sweden form analysis
During the UEFA Euro 2022 tournament, Sweden started off impressively, securing victories against Switzerland (2-1) and Portugal (5-0) in the group stage. They continued their success in the quarter-finals with a 1-0 win over Belgium. However, their journey came to an end in the semi-finals with a tough 4-0 defeat against England, highlighting the challenges of competing against formidable opponents.
In the FIFA Women’s World Cup qualifiers, Sweden demonstrated their dominance with a convincing 5-0 victory over Finland, showcasing their ability to control matches against regional rivals.
Friendly matches presented a mixed bag of results for Sweden. They played to a 1-1 draw against Spain, indicating their capability to compete against high-quality European teams. Sweden then showcased their strength against strong international opponents by securing a convincing 3-0 victory over France. However, they suffered a setback with a 4-0 defeat against Australia and settled for a goalless draw against Germany.
In subsequent friendly matches, Sweden displayed their offensive prowess with a 4-1 victory over China, while also showcasing defensive solidity in a goalless draw against Germany. However, they faced a 1-0 defeat against Denmark and settled for a 3-3 draw against Norway.
In an unofficial match against the Philippines, Sweden exhibited their dominance with a commanding 5-1 victory, highlighting their ability to control matches against lower-ranked teams.
South Africa form analysis
In the AFWCON (African Women’s Cup of Nations) in 2022, South Africa demonstrated their quality by securing a 2-1 victory over Morocco in the final, highlighting their ability to perform well in major tournaments.
In the COSAFA Women’s Championship, South Africa had a strong start with a 3-0 win against Angola and a convincing 4-0 victory over Mauritius. They played a 1-1 draw against Mozambique, showcasing their competitiveness against regional opponents. In the semi-finals, South Africa secured a narrow 1-0 win against Namibia. However, they faced a 1-0 defeat against Zambia in the final, indicating the challenges they encountered against stronger opponents within their region.
In friendly matches, South Africa faced strong opponents such as Brazil and Australia. They suffered defeats of 3-0 and 6-0 against Brazil, showcasing the difficulties of competing against top-ranked teams. They also experienced a 4-1 loss against Australia, highlighting the challenges they faced against quality international opponents.
In the Turkish Women’s Cup, South Africa had mixed results. They secured a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Uzbekistan, and played a 1-1 draw against Slovenia.
In other friendly matches, South Africa suffered a 3-2 defeat against Serbia and a heavy 5-0 loss against Botswana. However, they bounced back with a 2-0 victory over Costa Rica, showing their ability to compete and secure positive results against teams of a similar level.
Sweden vs South Africa: Predictions
The gap between the quality of sides in different confederations is nothing new. However, that is much evident in the women’s game. This game will prove that yet again, with Blågult dominating their opponents.
Find more Women’s World Cup predictions by clicking here.
