The glamour matchup from the semifinal round at the Women’s Euro 2017 tournament on Thursday comes in the later game. England is the highest-ranked team left in the tournament after eliminating France in the quarterfinal. The Netherlands are the hosts and have been playing inspired soccer. Here’s a closer look at this Euro 2017 semifinal.
What To Know About England
England got another goal from Jodie Taylor in a 1-0 win over France, and Taylor’s five goals leads all scorers by three goals. However, goalkeeper Karen Bardsley is out for the rest of the tournament after suffering a broken leg against the French, and she will be replaced by Siobhan Chamberlain, who finished the France game and also started against Portugal. While the loss of Bardsley will be tough, Chamberlain has 42 appearances for England, so she’s no rookie. England has been a monster going forward, scoring 11 goals in this tournament and they’ve conceded only one. Now that Germany’s reign of six straight wins at the Euro tournament is over, England is in the driver’s seat to win it for the first time.
What To Know About Netherlands
The Netherlands got goals from Lieke Martens and Vivianne Miedema in each half to defeat Sweden 2-0 in the quarterfinal, and they’ve scored six goals in this tournament, allowing just one. Martens and Sherida Spitse have both scored twice in the tournament for the Netherlands, who are trying to become the fifth team to win the Women’s Euro event as the host. They’re a very balanced unit who might be a little more conservative in this game as England is very dangerous going forward, so the counterattack might be their best option. But that isn’t to say that they don’t have players that can find the back of the net themselves. Spitse, Miedema, Martens and Danielle van de Donk all have between 10 and 41 goals for their country and furthermore, they’re between 21 and 27 years old with plenty of experience.
Outlook
England is a +140 favorite to win this contest, with the Netherlands and a draw being rated at +210. England has 12 wins and four draws in 10 meetings with the Netherlands, including a 2-1 win in extra time in the semifinal round of the 2009 tournament. The match-winner was scored by Jill Scott, who has been playing well in this tournament. However, Scott will miss this game through suspension and someone else will have to step up for the midfielder.
Taylor also scored when England beat the Netherlands 1-0 in a friendly back in November, so they’ll definitely have an eye on her. But they have to be quick on the counterattack as well, and England has been very good at the back. With or without Bardsley, England is still very good defensively. The big x-factor is the crowd; early estimations are that this will break the record for attendance for a women’s soccer match in the Netherlands. Both teams will have plenty of fans on hand for what should be a truly fascinating game, and one that will be close either way.
Euro 2017 Semifinal Pick: Netherlands
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