Australia W vs Denmark W prediction: WORLD: World Cup Women – Play Offs betting tips on match 2023-08-06 10:30.
âMake sure you win without meâ was the message of inspiration from injured Australia captain Sam Kerr prior to drubbing Canada 4-0 in a win that saw them top a Womenâs World Cup (WWC) finals group for the first time. Whilst she was prepared to play off the bench if required, a stellar performance from the team bought her an additional week to recover and prepare for Australiaâs fifth consecutive Round of 16 appearance – a stage at which they have a 75% success rate.
The job of manager Tony Gustavsson was reportedly on the line had they not beaten Olympic champions Canada, but a new left-side combination of Arsenal teammates Steph Catley and Caitlin Foord added a fresh attacking dimension to a team that has now won 11 of their last 13 matches. Eight of those victories were accompanied by clean sheets, the most recent of which wouldâve been especially pleasing for Gustavsson after he blamed defensive mistakes for their Matchday 2 loss to Nigeria (3-2).
Denmark were one of the handful of nations to score against Australia in that period, albeit in a 3-1 friendly defeat at home last October. Theyâve made significant improvements in defence since then, conceding no more than two goals in 11 straight matches including a successful second-place finish in Group D with 1-0 and 2-0 wins over China and Haiti respectively.
That saw them progress beyond the group stage of a WWC for the first time since 1995, though they were widely expected to do so owing to the weakness of the two nations they conquered. Despite describing Australiaâs 4-0 rout of Canada as âperfectâ, Danish manager Lars SĂžndergaard pointed to those better defensive efforts as evidence that they can pose a significant challenge to their hosts.
Players to watch: Courtesy of two penalties, Australian left-back Steph Catley has scored in two of their three matches at this tournament, with all five of her international goals coming in wins âto nilâ. Meanwhile, Everton midfielder Karen Holmgaardâs third and most recent goal for Denmark was against Australia last year.
Hot streak: Denmark have played 30 consecutive matches without a draw (which excludes a forfeit to Sweden in the 2022 Algarve Cup), whilst Australia have completed 15 in a row.