Auckland, Aug 14 (EFE).- Spain, ranked sixth in the FIFA ranking, will face powerful Sweden this Tuesday in Auckland, the third best team in the world and which historically has never won, for an unprecedented place in the final of the women’s World Cup, in a match in which the presence of Aitana Bonmatí is doubtful.
Jorge Vilda’s men are confident of continuing to make history in the antipodes with the final on the horizon, although they have a triple challenge ahead of them: getting a ticket to the World Cup finals for the first time, beating Sweden and beating a better-ranked rival in a great tournament.
Spain and Sweden have faced each other eleven times since 1991, with a balance of seven victories for the Nordics and four draws. The most recent precedent corresponds to a friendly disputed last October in Córdoba, in which La Roja managed to rescue a tie with a goal from Marta Cardona in the last minutes.
Likewise, the Scandinavian team has been responsible for conceding the two most severe defeats suffered by Spain in its history, in 1996 (0-8) and 2000 (7-0). But a lot has happened in the last two decades and the level between the two has become more and more equal, with which Spain aspires to settle the pending account.
The main doubts for the commitment are Aitana Bonmatí, one of the protagonists of the championship, and the defense Laia Codina, who had muscle discomfort after the game against the Netherlands although they returned to training this Monday with the entire group.
Already the winger Oihane Hernández will be low for being sanctioned after exceeding the limit of yellow cards.
Jorge Vilda will have to find the best formula to deal with the Swedish agility and power, which has its main strengths in aerial plays and set pieces, although he assured that Spain will play equally.
“My team has been able to overcome a lot of adversity in that World Cup and, whatever happens, I am confident that we are ready,” he told a press conference today.
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And it is that the main threat from Sweden, runner-up in the 2003 World Cup in the United States, comes from the air and has a first and last name: Amanda Ilestedt, a center-back with a forward face.
The Arsenal footballer and one of the veterans of the Nordic absolute has scored four goals so far in this World Cup and all of them came from the corner, which is why she has also become a serious candidate to win the tournament’s top scorer award .
But Ilestedt and his goalscoring power are not alone and the gifts of the Nordic team are joined by names such as Stina Blackstenius, also from Arsenal, and Fridolina Rolfo, Barça striker and wardrobe partner of a large part of the Spanish cast.
The coach Peter Gerhardsson said today that he must have all his players available, although Kosovare Asllani and Rolfö, as well as Sara Seger, left their last game against Japan touched.
Despite this, Gerhardsson stressed that he has “extremely skilled” players in his squad and stressed that he trusts in the strength of his team as a whole.
“We have extremely skilled players technically, but you can also work a lot on the structure and not just on the pieces,” she told reporters.
-Probable alignments:
Spain: Tasting Coll; Ona Battle, Irene Paredes, Ivana Andrés, Olga Carmona; Teresa Abelleira, Aitana Bonmatí, Jenni Hermoso; Salma Paralluelo, Esther González, Alba Redondo.
Selector: Jorge Vilda.
Sweden: Zecira Musovic; Jonna Andersson, Magdalena Eriksson, Amanda Ilestedt, Nathalie Bjorn; Elin Rubensson, Filippa Angeldal, Kosovare Asllani; Fridolina Rolfö, Johanna Kaneryd, Stina Blackstenius.
Selector: Peter Gerhardsson.
Referee: Edina Alves, from Brazil.
Time: 8:00 p.m. local time (08:00 GMT; 10:00 a.m. Spanish peninsular time).
Stadium: Eden Park in the New Zealand city of Auckland.
Nayara Batschke
(c) EFE Agency
2023-08-14 09:51:43
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