Spain vs England 20/08/23 Tips:
Spain and England will meet in the Women’s World Cup final in Sydney on Sunday and we’re expecting the Lionesses to utilise their experience.
Date, KO time and TV coverage
Women World Cup, Sunday, August 20, Kick-off 11am, live on BBC One and ITV
Predicted score
Spain 1-2 England
Premier League betting tips
Bet: England to win
Bet: Both teams to score
Spain vs England betting preview
Spain left it late to get the job done against Sweden in their semi-final. The match sprung to life with an 81st-minute opener from Salma Paralluelo before the Swedes equalised in the 88th minute only to concede a minute later.
The decisive blow came from Olga Carmona, setting up a Sydney final date with the Lionesses.
Speaking of England, the European champions faced brief adversity in their semi against hosts Australia. Star player Sam Kerr produced a world-class strike to level the score in the second half, but goals either side of that from Ella Toone, Lauren Hemp and Alessio Russo settled the match.
Sarina Wiegman’s side were dominant in possession and defended well for most of the 90 minutes, but had to survive a few late scares for striking the decisive blow.
Spain, on the other hand, had to rely on goalkeeper Cata Coll who was called on several times to make a decisive intervention.
Nevertheless, the Spaniards were dominant with Alexia Putellas and Teresa Abelleira pulling the strings across the park.
Jorge Vilda’s side managed just two shots on target, the instinctive finish from Salma and Carmona’s dipping drive from the edge of the box.
Sweden remained compact and limited their opponents to half chances and strikes from distance, which is a blueprint England will be looking to follow.
For majority of their matches under Wiegman, the Lionesses have been strong defensively, but Sam Kerr found more and more space as the game went on, missing a bundle of straightforward chances inside the England box.
Balls into the area proved a real problem and although Millie Bright was on the end of most of them, the eventual winners were pushing their luck at times and will need to improve.
Lauren James could return to the fold after serving her suspension and she would provide a big boost for England, adding to their wealth of big-game experience. Spain may be fearless, but they’ve never experienced a final.
The England ranks are full of players who can use the experience of the past 24 months to calm the game down in key moments and we’re betting that will be the key to the game.
