[ad_1] After hard-fought wins in the quarterfinals of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, Spain and Sweden battle Tuesday (coverage starts at 3 a.m
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After hard-fought wins in the quarterfinals of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, Spain and Sweden battle Tuesday (coverage starts at 3 a.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app) for the right to play for each country’s first World Cup title at Eden Park in New Zealand.
Both squads have come out unscathed until now with each team unbeaten in World Cup play this year.
For Sweden, a win would mean its first finals appearance at the World Cup since 2003 when it fell to Germany. For Spain, however, it would be the first finals appearance for its women’s soccer team. Tuesday’s tilt features four Golden Boot favorites — Sweden’s Amanda Ilestedt, along with Spain’s Jennifer Hermoso, Alba Redondo and Aitana Bonmati.
Follow our live coverage below, featuring live analysis from FOX Sports’ Michael Cohen!
11′: Spain nearly first on the board
9′: Contrasting attack styles
Cohen: The difference in attacking style between these two teams should make for a fascinating battle. Sweden tends to play more direct and relies heavily on set pieces to create scoring opportunities. Spain has maintained more possession than any team in the tournament and entered today’s game with 76 sequences of 10-plus passes, which ranks second behind the Netherlands. By contrast, Sweden has just 43 sequences of 10-plus passes in this year’s tournament.
6′: Sweden attacking early
Cohen’s take: Sweden entered today’s game as an extremely right-hand dominant team. The Swedes have attacked down their right side 50% of the time and then relied on crosses into the box. Already, we’re seeing Spain’s attempt to combat that by forcing Sweden to the left when building out of the back. Spain’s center forward, Jennifer Hermoso, is the tip of the press and she’s angling her body to force Sweden toward the side it typically avoids.
4′: Keeping the goalies honest
1′: We are underway
PREGAME
Spain’s outlook
Manager Jorge Vilda made a huge decision by including midfielder Alexia Putellas in his starting XI for today’s game. Putellas, who has won the last two Ballon d’Or Féminin awards recognizing the best player in the world, is still working her way back to full fitness after suffering a torn ACL last year. She’s only started two games in the tournament thus far and played 155 total minutes.
Not only was including Putellas a big call based on her fitness, but there’s also the underlying on-field tension between her and fellow Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmati, one of the breakout stars of the tournament with three goals and two assists. To be clear, there’s no bad blood between Putellas and Bonmati. Rather, both players see and play the game in similar ways from similar positions, which can lead to spacing issues and moments of disjointedness on the pitch. Bonmati’s best performances of the tournament have come with Putellas out of the lineup.
Other key players for Spain:
Right back Ona Battle: Leads all players at the Women’s World Cup with nine crosses into the penalty area. She’s tied with Spain’s left back Olga Carmon for the most passes into the penalty area with 15.
Holding midfielder Teresa Abelleira: Leads all players at the Women’s World Cup with 57 passes into the final third. She’s also tied with teammate Irene Paredes for the most progressive passes at this year’s tournament with 51.
Forward Eva Navarro: Plays the role of super sub for Spain by coming off the bench in four of five matches thus far. She leads all players at the Women’s World Cup with 1.78 goal-creating actions per 90 minutes. —Michael Cohen
Sweden’s outlook
Sweden has reached back-to-back Women’s World Cup semifinals for the first time and is making its fifth overall appearance in the semis, tied with Germany for the second-most in history. The Swedes are searching for their first trip to the final since 2003 when they finished as runners-up to Germany. The potential 20-year gap between World Cup Final appearances would be the largest gap ever by one nation.
For Sweden, manager Peter Gerhardsson is navigating his fourth major tournament in charge. He’s reached the semifinals in all of them to establish his side as one of the best in the world, evidenced by its No. 3 world ranking entering this year’s World Cup. Sweden is unbeaten in 11 matches against Spain all time with a record of seven wins, four draws and zero losses.
Key players for Sweden:
Center back Amanda Ilestedt: Tied for the second-most goals at the Women’s World Cup with four, all of which have come off set pieces. She’s excellent in the air on both ends of the pitch and is particularly adept at finding the ball on corner kicks. Her mark of +1.4 goals minus expected goals (xG) ranks seventh at this year’s World Cup and reflects her ability to turn difficult chances into goals.
Goalkeeper Zecira Musovic: The hero for Sweden’s win over the United States in the Round of 16, Musovic has conceded just one goal in 180 minutes thus far. She ranks third in saves with 18 and has a staggering mark of +2.4 post-shot xG minus goals allowed, which demonstrates an ability to make difficult saves above and beyond what’s expected.
Midfielder Kosovare Asllani: The heart and soul of this Sweden team plays in the No. 10 position underneath forward Stina Blackstenius. She’s a key figure in transition for the Swedes, which will be critical as they look to press this possession-minded Spanish side. —Michael Cohen
Setting the stage
The World Cup NOW crew gets everyone ready for the match.
Goals bring out smiles
Keeping calm in the clutch
Check out the full Women’s World Cup schedule and how to watch each match live here. Find the latest scores here.
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