Japan vs Sweden Odds & Prediction – Women’s World Cup Quarterfinals
- Japan faces Sweden in the Women’s World Cup Quarterfinals Friday
- The Japanese are a +120 favorite
- Who moves on? Keep reading for the Japan vs Sweden odds, analysis, projected lineups, and prediction
We’re officially down to eight nations left at the Women’s World Cup and in one of the most tantalizing quarterfinals of the lot, Japan will be looking to continue their fantastic tournament as they lock horns with Sweden, who just shocked the title-holders in the Round of 16. The kick-off is set for 3:30 AM ET Friday morning at Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand.
The Japanese cruised through the last round with a dominant 3-1 victory over a strong Norway side last Saturday. As for the Swedes, they knocked off the United States in penalties, despite barely having a chance on goal. The winner here faces either Spain or Netherlands in the semifinals. See our Spain vs Netherlands picks here.
Japan vs Sweden Odds
| Matchup | Moneyline |
|---|---|
| Japan | +120 |
| Sweden | +230 |
| Draw | +210 |
Japan is a slim +120 favorite in this fixture. Sweden comes back at +230 on the moneyline. A draw is priced at +210. The Japanese have won four of the last seven meetings with the Scandinavians, including a 3-1 victory in the 2011 World Cup. However, Sweden has won the past two meetings, including a 3-1 win in 2021.
Odds as of August 10th at DraftKings. Check out the top sports betting apps to get the best bonus for the Women’s World Cup quarterfinals.
Japan vs Sweden Preview
It’ll be hard to find another team in this competition that has looked as dominant as the 2011 winners. Japan absolutely cruised through the group stages with a perfect nine points from three games, collecting victories over Costa Rica, Zambia, and most notably, Spain. In the process, Futoshi Ikeda’s side bagged eight goals and didn’t concede once.
The victory over the Spaniards was easily the most impressive, putting four past them. Then in the Last 16, the Japanese made quick work of the Norwegians. An own goal early in the first half put them ahead before Norway equalized shortly after. However, they came out firing on all cylinders in the second half, with Risa Shimizu and Hinata Miyazawa both hitting the back of the net.
Japan has enjoyed no shortage of success in the Women’s World Cup and truly looks like they could go all the way. Aside from their triumph 12 years ago, the Asian nation also made the showpiece in 2015. Although a Round of 16 exit in 2019 was far from ideal, at this rate, another appearance in the final may very well be in the cards.
Sweden also showed well in group play, finishing top with nine points from their three matches. The Blue and Yellow took down Italy, Argentina, and South Africa, only allowing one goal in the process while netting nine.
All eyes were on their Round of 16 affair with the US and honestly, the Swedes were given a realistic chance of progressing based on how poorly the holders were playing in the tournament.
Although Sweden was completely outplayed, keeper Zecira Musovic stole the show and is the No.1 reason her country has moved on. The Chelsea standout made a whopping 11 saves and several of them were absolutely mind-boggling. The States then shot themselves in the foot by missing several spot-kicks in penalties.
Regardless of their underwhelming performance in the last round, Sweden is no stranger to success on the World Cup stage and should feel confident considering they just eliminated the reigning champions. The Swedes were runners-up in 2003 and bronze medalists in 2011 and 2019. This side is capable of turning up when it matters.
Japan vs Sweden Key Stats
| 4-0-0 | WWC Record | 4-0-0 |
| 14 | Goals Scored | 9 |
| 1 | Goals Conceded | 1 |
| WWWWW | Form in Last Five Games | DWWWW |
Japan vs Sweden Projected XIs & Injuries
Japan Projected Starting XI: Yamashita; Takahashi, Kumagai, Minami; Shimizu, Hasegawa, Nagano, Endo; Miyazawa, Fujino, Tanaka
Injuries & Absences: N/A
Sweden Projected Starting XI: Musovic; Bjorn, Ilestedt, Eriksson, Andersson; Angeldahl, Rubensson; Rytting Kaneryd, Asllani, Rolfo; Blackstenius
Injuries & Absences: N/A
Both sides are expected to roll with the same starting XIs as the Round of 16. Miyazawa currently leads the Golden Boot race with four goals.
Japan vs Sweden Prediction
This should be a highly entertaining encounter. Sweden did play 120 minutes against the USA on Sunday though which means there could be some fatigue and Japan hasn’t missed a beat in the World Cup yet. I have to take them to move on in my Japan vs Sweden predictions.
Japan vs Sweden Picks: Japan moneyline +120
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Quinn Allen is a sports journalist, with a background and education in broadcast journalism (BCIT '17). He is a full-time associate editor at ClutchPoints by day, where he writes about soccer, baseball, basketball, football, and more. At night, Quinn is a frequent contributor at SBD.
