The 2015 Women’s World Cup semifinals begin this Tuesday, June 30 with the USA taking on Germany at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal, Quebec. A loss in this knockout stage means elimination from the tournament. Any tied games will go to extra time and then a penalty shootout if it’s still level after the extra 30 minutes.
Women’s FIFA World Cup Soccer Betting Preview – USA vs Germany
- bet365 currently lists Germany as the favorites to win this match at 6/4 with the USA 19/10 and a 90-minute draw at 11/5.
The American women topped Group D, also known as the group of death, by beating Australia 3-1 in their opener and then drawing 0-0 with Sweden and taking down Nigeria 1-0. They then won their round-of-16 match 2-0 over Colombia. This set up a showdown with China in the quarterfinals and the Americans managed to do enough to pull off a 1-0 win. The U.S. has had a bit of trouble creating offense and goals so far in the tournament and many experts believe this could be because the entire event is being played on artificial turf.
The squad was also shorthanded against China since midfielders Lauren Holiday and Megan Rapinoe both picked up their second yellow cards against Colombia and were suspended for the quarterfinal showdown. However, they’ll both be back in the lineup against Germany and the team will need their creativity and flair. The U.S. defense has been rock solid though with Becky Sauerbrunn leading the way and goaltender Hope Solo has allowed just one goal against in five games with four straight clean sheets. In fact, the U.S. hasn’t allowed a goal against in 423 minutes, which is the third-longest streak in Women’s World Cup history.
Germany came flying out of the starting gate in Group B as they smoked Ivory Coast 10-0 in their opening match. They drew Norway 1-1 in their second outing and then shutout Thailand 4-0 to seal top spot in the group by goal difference over runners-up Norway. Germany then went on to down Sweden 4-1 in their round-of-16 contest This meant they had to face France in the quarterfinals and they knew it would be a tough task. Germany managed to advance to the final four though after ousting the French 5-4 in a penalty shootout following a 1-1 draw in regulation time.
The striking partnership of Celia Sasic and Anja Mittag has 11 goals to their name in the tournament with Sasic leading the event in scoring with six of them. She now has 63 goals in 109 international contests. The German women have dominated in every match except for the 1-1 draw with Norway and the game against France. They’ve scored a tournament-best 20 goals so far and allowed just three against. Carli Lloyd scored the winner against China for the U.S. and the 32-year-old team captain now has 65 goals in 200 international games. The win means the Americans have now made it to the semifinals in seven straight World Cup tournaments.
The U.S. and Germany have met three times in the past in World Cup play with the Americans ahead two games to one. The last time they met was back in 2003 with Germany winning 3-0 in a semifinal showdown. The top-ranked Germans will need to play better in this match than they did against France if they hope to reach the Final against either reigning World Cup champions Japan or sixth-ranked England next weekend. Germany is hoping to have midfielder Dzsenifer Marozsan in the lineup against the U.S. after she injured her ankle against China. She’s a key player as she’s chipped in with 26 goals in 52 games for her team.
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