Kick-off: 1100, 20/08/2023
Stadium: Stadium Australia, Sydney
TV: BBC/ITV
A new winner of the Women’s World Cup is guaranteed as England face Spain in an all-European final in Sydney on Sunday.
Neither team has featured in the final before but England have made it to the showpiece match in a second successive tournament after being crowned European champions last summer.
The experience of the big occasion and confidence from securing some silverware could give them the edge here and the Lionesses to lift the trophy at 93/100 is our opening England Women vs Spain Women prediction.
Late goals look likely
England took their time to catch fire in this tournament but, despite a lacklustre start, they emerged from Group D with three wins from three, with Lauren James looking one of the players of the tournament.
They had an almighty scare against Nigeria in the round of 16 though, when James was sent off and the match went to a penalty shoot-out, which England won 4-2.
The Lionesses then came from behind to beat Colombia 2-1 and produced perhaps their best performance so far with a 3-1 victory over co-hosts Australia in a hostile atmosphere in the semi-finals.
Spain had never won a knockout game at the tournament before their arrival in Australia and New Zealand but are now slight favourites to lift the biggest prize of all.
A 4-0 defeat against Japan in the group stage highlighted the flaws in their possession-based game but victories over Switzerland (5-1), Netherlands (2-1 after extra time) and Sweden (2-1) have seen them reach the decider without keeping a clean sheet since the group stage.
With that in mind, both teams to score appeals at 11/4.
That paid out in both semi-finals, as well as last year’s Euro 2022 quarter-final, which England won 2-1 after extra time, so may be worth the extra risk.
James boost for Lionesses
Spain almost ended England’s hopes of glory on home soil last summer and were leading with six minutes remaining at Wembley but the Lionesses forced their way back into the game.
Ranked sixth in the world by FIFA, they are an emerging force in the international game and are bidding to add the senior World Cup to those they currently hold at under-17s and under-20s levels.
Coach Jorge Vilda has had to rebuild his squad after a rebellion in 2022 which saw 15 players make themselves unavailable, although Aitana Bonmati, Ona Batlle and Mariona Caldentey have since returned to the fold.
Former international sprinter Salma Paralluelo, 19, has proved the woman for the big occasion with vital strikes from the bench in both the last eight and the semi-finals and appeals at 3/1 to be on target again.
England are boosted by the return from suspension of James though and have the self-belief to triumph even when things go against them.
Boosted by extra options off the bench, we’re backing the Lionesses to win 2-1 at 10/1 as the last of our England Women vs Spain Women betting tips.
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