Women’s WC 3rd Place: Sweden vs Australia Betting Preview
Sweden in Pursuit of Record Fourth Bronze Medal
Co-Hosts Australia Fall Short
Both Sweden and Australia can be proud of making it to the Women’s World Cup semifinal in the first-ever 32-team tournament. While neither will be playing in the final, they have an opportunity to win the bronze medal on Saturday. Plus, Australia gets to play in front of their home fans one last time during the match in Brisbane. In our Sweden vs Australia betting preview, we’ll look at the odds and preview the Third Place Game.
Women’s World Cup Third Place
Sweden vs Australia
Day/Time:
Location: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, Australia
Head-to-Head:
Our Sweden vs Australia betting preview notes that Sweden holds a 9-4-2 record vs. Australia all-time. They’ve already met four times since June 2021. Most recently, Australia picked up a 4-0 win in a friendly in Melbourne last November.
They also met twice at the Tokyo Olympics. Sweden won 4-2 in the group stage, and Fridolina Rolfo scored the game’s only goal as Sweden knocked out Australia in the semifinals. In June 2021, they also played to a scoreless draw in a friendly.
Sweden Unbeaten in Third Place Games
Sweden qualified for the Women’s World Cup semifinals for the third time in their last four appearances. Sweden conceded just two goals in their first five matches and knocked out the USA and Japan. Defender Amanda Ilestedt has scored some key goals and is still technically in the Golden Boot race. She has scored four goals and is one goal behind Japan’s Hinata Miyazawa for the tournament lead.
The Blue and Yellow were third in the FIFA World Cup rankings heading into the tournament. Now, they’re looking to stay unbeaten in third-place games. Sweden also came in third in the 2019, 2011, and 1991 World Cups and are 3-0 in third-place matches. Sweden defeated England 2-1 in the 2019 edition of the match as Kosovare Asllani and Sofia Jakobsson got on the scoresheet.
This could be both players’ last World Cup match for Sweden, as they’ll be nearing 40 when the next one rolls around. Sweden has never won the World Cup and has suffered some frustrating results. In the semifinal vs. Spain, Sweden fell behind 1-0 late in the second half. Substitute Rebecka Blomquist equalized in the 88th minute, but Olga Carmona scored a long-range winner just a minute later for Spain.
Uncharted Territory for Australia
FIFA World Cup predictions listed Australia as a +1200 dark horse to win the World Cup before the tournament started. As co-hosts, Australia had a unique opportunity to play all their matches on home soil. However, star striker Sam Kerr picked up an injury just before the tournament began. She missed the entirety of the group stage, but the Matildas still managed to finish in first place in Group B.
Australia’s group stage-closing 4-0 win over Canada built momentum heading into the knockout stage. Kerr returned as a substitute in Australia’s round of 16 matches vs. Denmark as the Matildas won 2-0. Australia faced France in the quarterfinals in a match that finished scoreless. The Matildas dramatically advanced to their first semifinals in penalties, where they took on England.
Ella Toone opened up the scoring for England in the first half, but Kerr managed to equalize for Australia on a second-half rocket. A defensive error led to England’s second goal, and Alessia Russo put the match out of reach. Australia, tenth in the FIFA World Cup standings, will now play in their first Women’s World Cup Third Place game. Hayley Raso has been a standout for Australia, with three goals in the tournament.
Match Analysis & Odds
Fans should be in for a highly competitive match on Saturday. Sweden vs Australia betting previews note that hosts Australia are slight favorites. In this pick’em, Sweden pk shows -130 odds, and Australia pk comes in at even odds. Note Australia won just three of their six matches at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in 90 minutes.
The Matildas are +185 moneyline underdogs in their first Third Place Game. Sweden has medaled in each of their last three appearances at major tournaments but has never won a Women’s World Cup or Olympic Gold Medal. In 2016 and 2020, Sweden was a silver medalist at the Olympics, and they finished third at the 2019 Women’s World Cup.
Sweden has won all their previous Third Place Games in 90 minutes and is +150 moneyline underdogs here. Sweden has conceded under a goal per game at this Women’s World Cup, and under 2.5 goals sit at -120 odds here.
In the event of a draw, which shows +225 odds, the match will go into extra time and potentially penalties. Should Sweden win, they’ll become the only team with four third-place finishes at the Women’s World Cup.
Sweden vs Australia Betting Preview
Experience the Women’s World Cup Odds for an intense matchup and escalate your betting action with the info shown below:
Keep checking Point Spreads for more on the upcoming teams and the World Cup game times you need for your wagering action!
