Spain W vs England W prediction: WORLD: World Cup Women – Play Offs betting tips on match 2023-08-19 10:00.
History beckons for either Spain or England, both of whom will contest their first-ever FIFA Women’s World Cup (WWC) final, in what is the first all-European WWC final in nearly 20 years! Spain are the WWC’s top scorers (17), so their firepower cannot be underestimated as they gear up for a first major final. La Roja needed a last-gasp 89th minute winner to see off Sweden in the semi-finals, which must go down as a magnificent achievement given the off-field distractions that have plagued Spain’s build-up and participation in this tournament, with an apparent rift between players, manager and the Spanish Football Federation.
The winner of this contest will be just the fifth nation to lift the WWC trophy, but to do that Spain will have to overcome a pretty dismal H2H record that’s seen them win just two of 11 competitive H2Hs (D5, L4). That includes being knocked out of the 2022 UEFA Women’s European Championship by England in the quarter-finals, so a slice of revenge as well as sporting immortality may be on the minds of the Spanish players.
England broke hometown hearts to book their place in the final, as they battled past co-hosts Australia 3-1 in dramatic fashion in the semis. The Lionesses can now become just the second nation after Germany to be European and World champions simultaneously with victory here, something they’ll certainly be confident of achieving given their irresistible form under boss Sarina Wiegman (W30, D7, L1).
Wiegman has sensationally now reached the final in all four of her major international tournament appearances as a manager (W2, L1). She’ll want to go one better than her runners-up medal from the 2019 WWC whilst in charge of the Netherlands, and given that she coaches the only unbeaten side left in the tournament, who’ve conceded just three goals en route to the final, she’s got an excellent chance of doing just that.
Players to watch: Spain have been reliant on 19-year-old sensation Salma Paralluelo in the knockout stages, as she’s netted beyond the 80th minute in each of their last two games – both 2-1 wins for La Roja. After scoring in the semi-final, England’s Ella Toone will be looking to replicate her performance in the 2022 Euros finals when she netted within seven minutes of coming off the bench.
Hot stat: In seven of the eight all-time WWC finals, the winning team has scored at least twice.