Sweden vs Canada Odds & Prediction – Olympic Women’s Soccer Gold Medal Game

• Sweden and Canada will meet on Friday, August 6th, to decide the women’s Olympic gold medal at Tokyo 2020
• Unbeaten Canada has been the underdog in all but one of its matches so far
• Read on for a preview, full odds and a best bet for Friday’s clash

The silver and bronze medalists from five years ago will meet on Friday, August 6th at the rescheduled time of 8:00 am ET to decide the winner of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic women’s soccer tournament. The International Olympic Committee took the decision to reschedule the start time from its original slot at 10 pm ET Thursday night to ensure the temperature at kickoff is a little more agreeable for the players.

Either way, there will be a brand-new Olympic champion this year, as neither of the finalists have won gold previously, with Sweden taking silver in Rio, while Canada has claimed bronze at both of the previous two Olympics.

Sweden vs Canada Odds

Odds as of August 5th at DraftKings

Can Sweden Step Up?

After being edged 2-1 by Germany in the gold-medal game at the Rio Olympics – as well as taking third place at the 2019 Women’s World Cup – the onus is on Sweden to take the next step and strike gold here.  Led by strikers Stina Blackstenius and Fridolina Rolfo, the Swedes have dominated the tournament so far, winning all five of their matches, scoring 13 goals and conceding just three.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bKW9FU9mqg

The former European champions made a statement of intent right from their opening game when they routed the four-time Olympic champion United States 3-0. And they have only gotten stronger since then.

One-Sided Rivalry

Though Sweden and Canada know all about each other, having met frequently over the years, it has been Sweden that has come out on top more often than not. In 23 matches since the sides first met in 1987, Sweden has 14 wins, versus just five for Canada, with the other four matches ending as draws. On top of that, Sweden has been the more dominant offensively, scoring 43 goals to Canada’s 23.

🚨 ⚽️ 🗳️@svenskfotboll | @CanadaSoccerEN | #OlympicFootball | #Olympics | #Football | #Tokyo2020

🥇 Who will win Olympic gold?

— FIFA Women's World Cup (@FIFAWWC) August 4, 2021

And Sweden is unbeaten on the past three occasions the sides have met, most notably in the last 16 of the 2019 World Cup, when a Blackstenius goal provided the margin of victory in a 1-0 Sweden win.

Canada’s last victory in the series came in a friendly back in 2017, again courtesy of a solitary goal.

Canada Loving Life As An Underdog

It’s fair to say that Canada, which is currently three spots lower than Sweden in the FIFA women’s world rankings, is enjoying its role as the underdog throughout most of these Olympic Games.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsZ1i5td248

Still unbeaten through five matches, Canada has only been favored to win in its group-stage victory over Chile. In its matches against Japan, Britain, Brazil and the US, it has been an underdog (heavily so against the Americans) but has emerged unscathed through those tests.

Against Sweden, Canada has been installed as a +400 underdog, although it will likely draw strength from its position as the underdog once again.

Sweden vs Canada Key Stats

Defense Wins for Canada

While Sweden has won on the strength of a balanced game plan, highlighted by a blistering attack, Canada’s success has been firmly built on the strength of its rearguard action. Canada has conceded just three goals in five games, including none through 210 minutes of play in the knockout stages.

SOCCER: Stephanie Labbé has taken an absolute beating in this women's Olympic tournament.

She's also made big saves for Canada on countless occasions.

Player of the Game. Player of the Tournament.

Unbelievable from the Canadian GK. pic.twitter.com/tE4VkTISXo

— Ben Steiner (@BenSteiner00) July 30, 2021

On top of that, Bev Priestman’s team hasn’t even had to come from behind in a game, having taken the lead in each of its victories, or the score draws against Japan and Britain.

It will have to be just as strong against a Swedish attack that has scored the second-most goals in the tournament behind the Dutch.

Can Sinclair Sign Off With a Win?

Soccer’s leading international goal scorer has had a quiet tournament by her usually high standards. Christine Sinclair, the owner of 187 goals for Canada, has only scored once in this tournament and missed her penalty in the shootout win over Brazil in the quarterfinal. At 38 years old, this is probably her last Olympic game, and it will interesting to see if she has saved the best for last.

#CANWNT 🍁 One more match with all eyes on gold #Tokyo2020 #RiseHigher pic.twitter.com/5IOB1sFB6Y

— Canada Soccer (@CanadaSoccerEN) August 4, 2021

After securing back-to-back bronze medals, Canada is guaranteed to be just the third nation to secure medals in three or more consecutive Olympics, following in the footsteps of the US and Germany. The only question is what color that medal will be: silver or gold?

Best bet: Sweden (-105); Over 2.5 (+170)