Sweden Women v Italy Women

Sweden Women vs Italy Women Preview

Saturday evening provides us with a potentially mouthwatering clash between Sweden and Italy at the top of the Group G table with both nations jostling for top spot and the more favourable of ties in the knockout rounds if they both manage to emerge from this group.

Sweden opened their account with a 2-1 win against South Africa which put an end their previous three-match winless run in international friendlies prior to the start of this World Cup which saw the Swedes draw with Germany and Norway in 0-0 and 3-3 stalemates respectively, as well as a disappointing 1-0 defeat to Denmark.

However, Sweden have produced a pretty consistent looking sequence of results since August 2021 as they have suffered just three defeats out of their last 26 matches overall in all competitions and picking up no fewer than 18 wins in the process which will give them an added boost ahead of this tough looking fixture with Italy.

Sweden will be seeking to go one step better than their previous best at a World Cup which saw them finish runners-up in 2003, and having won four of their last five games at this level, Peter Gerhardsson's side look in good shape for further success here.

Italy registered what could prove to be a vital 1-0 victory over Argentina in their opening game in Group G as Le Azzure continued their resurgence in recent times following what was an unmitigated disastrous sequence of results beforehand.

A five-match losing streak from mid-October 2022 through to mid-February of this year resulted in defeats for the Italian women's national team to the likes of Brazil, Austria, Northern Ireland, Belgium and England respectively but the Italians have seemingly re-discovered their mojos and they bring a solid five-match unbeaten run into this Matchday 2 fixture.

Italy have won four of these five games, picking up victories against South Korea, Colombia, New Zealand and of course, Argentina, which will give Milena Bertolini's side a welcome boost during this group campaign.

Italy have won four of their last six games on the World Cup stage and will be a tough unit to break down here.

Sweden W v Italy W Verdict Sweden have lost just twice in their previous eight meetings against Italy and they have also collected six wins in the process, so they will be in confident mood that they can extend their dominance into this Saturday evening's clash at the Wellington Regional Stadium as well.

Italy are no pushovers though, and Le Azzure are more than capable of at least contributing to the scoreline in this tussle.

Therefore, our main bet will be Sweden win @ 1.75

Other side bets worth considering:

Over 2.5 goals @ 2.25

Correct score: Sweden 2-1 @ 9.00