Now that the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup has reached the quarterfinals, Office Essentials’ resident football (that’s “soccer” to you and me) fanatics, Stuart Hultgren and Andrew Corns preview the remainder of the tournament. Stay tuned over the next week as Stuart and Andrew continue to drop knowledge on us as they break things down as we get to the final match.
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If you would like to break it down further, here are our thoughts on each quarterfinal game:
<h3>Norway v. England – Thursday at 2:00 pm</h3>
- Norway had extra day of rest, but had to go to PK’s against Australia
- Norway Key Player: Isabell Herlovsen
- England Key Player: Ellen White (only 1 goal behind Alex Morgan and Sam Kerr for Golden Boot)
- England undefeated and hasn’t conceded a goal since opening match v. Scotland
- Will Ada Hegerberg’s absence for Norway eventually catch up to them?
- Prediction: 2-1 England
France v. USA – Friday at 2:00 pm
- France had extra day of rest, but had to play extra time against Brazil
- France Key Player: Amandine Henry
- USA Key Player: Julie Ertz (if she starts in midfield)
- Battle to Watch: Alex Morgan v. Wendie Renard
- France Strength: Left side (Majri, Le Sommer and Gauvin) has looked unstoppable throughout
- USA Strength: Unparalleled bench depth and overall team experience edge
- Prediction: 2-2 (USA wins 4-3 in PK’s)
Italy v. Netherlands – Saturday at 8:00 am
- Both teams playing on 3 days rest
- Italy Key Player: Cristiana Girelli (#10, CM)
- Netherlands Key Player: Lieke Martens (#11, LW)
- Netherlands looking to add World Cup to their trophy collection after winning Euro 2017
- Italy are the most surprising team in the Quarterfinals after coming through very tough group
- Prediction: 2-1 Netherlands
Germany v. Sweden – Saturday at 11:30 am
- Germany had two extra days rest and a significantly easier round of 16 matchup
- Germany Key Player: Alexandra Popp or Dzsenifer Marozsan (if she plays)
- Sweden Key Player: Hedvig Lindahl (GK) – Has finished as 3rd place and runner-up in WWC
- Can Sweden exact revenge after last year’s Men’s World Cup where Germany won?
- Played a 0-0 draw in Euro 2017 group stage match
- Prediction: Germany 2-0
