Women's World Cup quarter-final predictions for Japan v Sweden and Spain v Netherlands

Where to watch

Spain Women v Netherlands Women 
ITV1, 2am Friday night

Japan Women v Sweden Women
BBC One, 8.30am Friday

Best bets

Spain
1pt Evs Coral, Ladbrokes

Japan
1pt 13-10 Coral, Ladbrokes

Women's World Cup quarter-finals predictions

Spain were slickness itself in carving Switzerland apart in the last 16 and while Netherlands will be far stiffer adversaries La Roja should still have too much class for their European rivals.

Question marks over how this Spanish side would cope with a World Cup given the anarchy of the last 12 months or so have been well and truly answered in a positive sense.

The militants and the mavericks have been reunited and so far they have looked superb.

They have recorded three comprehensive wins out of four and even the one loss – the 4-0 drubbing by Japan – can be put down to pure fluke. The Spaniards absolutely bossed that match.

The warning sign, of course, is that having had their pockets mischievously picked by the Japanese, could they be vulnerable to the Dutch doing something similar in Wellington?

Netherlands have had three pretty tight matches to deal with and have done what was required, pipping Portugal in a winner-takes-all group game before holding the USA 1-1, although the States aren't perhaps the most reliable of form guide at these finals.

They were comfortable 2-0 winners over South Africa in the round-of-16 but it was a win that came at a price with stylish midfielder Danielle van de Donk picking up a second yellow and a ban.

Aitano Bonmati and Jennifer Hermoso could run riot in a midfield starved of the excellent Van de Donk.

The Dutch have had 24 hours less to prepare for the quarter-final and had to fly in from Australia as well, and Sweden are in a similar position.

They played their quarter-final against the US in Sydney 24 hours after Japan were beating Norway 3-1 in Wellington.

The Swedes also went through a pretty gruelling two-hour, backs-to-the-wall scrap with the Americans before limping over the line via a penalty shootout.

They haven't conceded a goal since the 48th minute of their opener against South Africa and are going to take some shifting.

But Japan are truly shining in these finals, have won all four games they have played, and the biggest market-movers at this tournament can land another memorable blow.

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