Sweden managed to reach the quarter-finals for the third time in the last four Women's World Cup final weeks, while Spain reached the quarter-finals for the first time in history.
Sweden's tactics against Japan were good, they played a very physical game and didn't allow Japan's creative players to have time on the ball, thus reducing their opponent's power. I think Sweden will play a similar game against Spain. They won't let players like Bomardi have time to control the ball, and I expect Sweden to press their opponents quickly in the midfield.
Up front, Sweden will play a direct game. Fidelina Rocco, Esther Nanni and Bikstienius will attack with speed and power, while Spain's defense will have to guard against Sweden's long and high passes. Sweden is also a threat when attacking from the dead ball, with defender Elise Dieter having scored 4 goals in the tournament. Spain should not concede penalties for fouls in dangerous positions, as she will have the chance to score.
I expect the Raging Bulls to keep the ball most of the time, but they will need to be more effective in front of goal. They missed a lot of chances against Holland, but Sweden only conceded 2 goals so far, so they won't let Spain have too many chances to score. I'm very interested to see if Bella Lullo, who scored the winning goal as a reserve last time out, will be a regular in the starting lineup. She is full of talent and can cause problems for the opposing defense, so she has the ability to influence the game.
