The group stages of the Women's World Cup is officially over and now the Round of 16 begin with some intriguing matchups to watch out for. Matches get started on Saturday and the head-to-head between Germany and Sweden should prove to be very exciting. These two teams saw each other in 2003 where Germany beat Sweden in the final and now they see each other again with advancement on the line.
Germany is a real threat to win their third championship. They looked uneven in group play, but only conceded a free kick from Norway. The team is still considered the No.1 team which is what they entered the tournament as. Their defense is on board while their offense explodes at any time. Head coaches Pia Sundhage and Silvia Neid have known each other for some time now and that could play a big factor as both are aware of the other's weaknesses and strengths.
Celia Sasic will highlight the Germany team as she has been one of the best goal scorers in the World Cup so far. She posted a hat trick against Ivory Coast while finishing with four goals in group play. Meanwhile, goalie Nadine Angerer is proving she is capable of handing the pressure after facing plenty of doubt heading into the tournament. She only gave up the one goal in three games, but she was also rarely tested.
Sweden was up and down in group play after entering as the No.5 seed. The team barely escaped Nigeria while tieing the United States and needing a win against Australia to advance. The team scored three times on eight shots so far in this tournament which is no match for the 15 goals and 41 shots Germany registered. Travel is also a huge factor for Sweden. The team is in their third time zone in this tournament. That is what the US wanted to avoided.
Sweden will rely on Lotta Schelin. She has been bottled up for most of this tournament, but once she is loose she is a threat. Nilla Fischer will anchor the defense which has struggled so far in this tournament, especially against Nigeria. Hedvig Lindahl will have to play the game of her life against Germany as their offense will attack and attack often.
