The quarterfinals of the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup are on. In Rennes, Germany will face Sweden in what will be a close match between two strong sides. Having eliminated Canada in the round-of-16, Sweden are confident to reach the semi-finals. But Germany also seek their next world championship after 2003 and 2007, playing a flawless tournament so far. In the round-of-16, they were able to beat Nigeria 3-0. In the semi-finals, the winner of the game between Italy and the Netherlands will have to wait, but before that, Germany and Sweden both have a difficult task to face. This tactical preview analysis will point out key aspects for both teams and show why there is no clear favourite.
Line-Ups
On 6 April, Sweden and Germany played a friendly in Goteborg in order to prepare for the world cup. Germany won that game 2-1, but it is highly doubtful that either team will use a line-up that is similar to the one they used in that particular game. While both teams played with a back three in that game, none tried this again during the world cup. Obviously, they tried out new things while confusing the opponent, but neither will use such a formation in this game.
We expect Sweden to stick to the 4-2-3-1 system, which worked fine for them. Stina Blackstenius should start once again after scoring the decisive goal against Canada, so Anna Anvegard will probably be a joker from the bench again.
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