Holland v Sweden: Women's World Cup semi-final betting preview, tip & TV details

TV: BBC1, 8pm Wednesday

The first half of the draw always looked like being the toughest and having avoided big guns France, the USA and England, European champions Holland will be delighted that Sweden have done them the favour of knocking out Germany in the quarter-finals.

The Dutch won with a bit in hand when they saw off Italy in the last eight and they are rightfully favourites to book their place in their first Women's World Cup final in Lyon on Wednesday.

They hardly hit the ground running when they needed an injury-time winner to see off New Zealand but they possess enough striking power to threaten any team, even if they did ride their luck to beat Japan in the last 16.

Holland were second best on that occasion, especially in the second half, and needed a controversial penalty to progress.

However, their big-game experience could tip the balance in their favour. That and the striking prowess of Arsenal's Vivianne Miedema and the support of Barcelona's Lieke Martens should cause plenty of issues for the Swedish defence.

To do that, they will have to repel the Swede's direct style, which paid dividends against Germany, who struggled despite having not conceded in the tournament before that match.

Sweden had not been particularly inspired before that match - they needed two late goals to get passed an indifferent Chile and lost 2-0 to the USA - and it was little surprise that they were 9-2 to beat Germany in 90 minutes.

They are capable of keeping things tight, but Sweden may have peaked and Dutch superiority should tell in the end.

Recommendation
Holland
2pts 13-10 general

Key stat
Holland have won their last 11 tournament matches

Team lowdowns

Holland
Strengths
Competitive success. The Dutch know what is required to win a tournament having claimed the Euros two years ago and that could give them an edge in such a big match.

Weaknesses
They can be vulnerable on the counter attack and can allow their opponents to create chances. They need to be tighter than they were in their quarter-final win over Italy.

Key player
Arsenal striker Vivianne Miedema is an excellent forward. She has three goals already in the tournament and is a threat in the air and on the ground.

Sweden
Strengths
Their direct style provides headaches for any defence as the Germans found in their quarter-final. They possess a physical threat.

Weaknesses
They struggle to gain possession against top sides - they hovered around 40 per cent in each of their last three games against the USA, Canada and Germany - so they may not create many chances.

Key player
Striker Stina Blackstenius is a handful for any defence. She netted the equaliser against Germany and the winner against Canada in the last 16 so is hitting form at exactly the right time.

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