This Olympics fixture is scheduled for Friday, August 12, 2016, at 1:00 p.m. ET at the Estadio Nacional de Brasilia Mane Garrincha in Brasilia. The match will be televised live on NBC Sports Network.
Odds Analysis
As of the publication of this article, the oddsmakers at BookMaker.eu had not yet released betting lines on the match. The Americans are sure to be favored in this one by a relatively healthy margin though, as they are still the best team in the world by a country mile even after their struggles against Colombia in their last group stage match.
The Swedes though, are no easy out. They are ranked No. 6 in the world right now, and they've given virtually all of their foes a really tough time over the years.
Tournament Update
Jill Ellis clearly is going to be frustrated with her American side heading into the last eight. Granted, she started a really young squad with Hope Solo in goal, but it was the usually reliable Solo who was so out of sorts, allowing relatively easy goals twice off of set pieces. For a woman who has 102 shutouts in her career, allowing two bunnies to get past her was a true shock.
Still, that didn't stop the USA from winning Group G on seven points, results which most teams would be quite content with.
The Swedes have to be kicking themselves for not doing better against China in the last group stage match. The punishment for that draw and a horrible 5-1 loss to Brazil in the second group stage match is having to face the top team in the world. If that four-goal loss to the hosts was any indication though, Sundhage's team is going to be in a lot of trouble against an even better American squad.
Key Matchup
The real question mark here for Sweden is whether anyone is going to be able to contain those balls out of the midfield. No team gets more balls into dangerous areas than the United States, and though we haven't seen a whole lot of that here in this tournament, ask Japan how it felt to play against the Stars and Stripes on the big stage in the World Cup when it was down 3-0 before the echoes of the national anthems stopped ringing in Canada.
Beatriz scored twice out of the Brazilian midfield back on Match Day 2 of this tournament against Sweden, and that really leaves the door open for Carli Lloyd, who plays in a similar role, to do the same thing.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
Sweden might be one of the better teams in the world, but its performances here on the big stage these last two years have been abysmal. The team has just one win in its seven matches thus far between the World Cup and the Olympics, and trying to keep balls out of the back of its own net has been the massive problem.
This isn't a good time to be playing against the United States. The Americans don't take to losing lightly, and generally speaking, they come back with vengeance. Sure, they're off of a draw and not a loss, but that draw may as well have been the sting of defeat, particularly for Solo. She'll post shutout No. 103 in her career, and the America ladies will be off to the semifinals with ease on Friday.
Olympics Odds: United States 3, Sweden 0
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