TWO years on from Euro 2017 euphoria the Netherlands find themselves one step away form contesting the 2019 Women's World Cup final.
Standing in their way is a Sweden side who caused the shock of the tournament so far when they came from behind to defeat two time World Champions Germany in last Saturday's quarter-final.
The Swedes are ninth in the Fifa Women's World Rankings and the lowest ranked team remaining in the competition and the bookies don't expect them to upset the odds again here with a Sweden win in normal time available at 9/4 (Bet 365)
Having won all five of their World Cup fixtures to this point the Dutch ladies start this semi-final as favourites at 6/5 (Bet 365)
Yet, the Oranje are only one place above their Scandinavian opponents in the World Rankings, so this could be tight battle and if you fancy this encounter to go into extra time then the draw is on offer at 9/4 (William Hill)
Although the Dutch are undefeated they have been unconvincing and they have failed to hit the heights that saw them crowned European Champions two Summer's ago.
Sarina Weigman's side topped Group E before seeing off Japan and Italy respectively, but in doing so the Netherlands have failed to register a victory of more than two goals.
Sweden's path to the last four has been more tricky, although they did comfortably qualify from their group in finishing second behind the USA – the only team to defeat the Scandanavis so far.
A nail biting 1-0 win followed against Canada in the round of 16 and and the Swedes followed that up by sending the Germans packing with a famous 2-1 win.
The Dutch are perceived as the more attacking team, however both of these nations have hit double figures in France and both have also been reasonably solid at the back having only conceded seven goals between them.
Yet, both countries have scored in all but one of their fixtures combined and I suspect that could continue with a place in the Women's World Cup final up for grabs.
Both of these nations carry a notable attacking threat and that points towards profit in backing Both Teams to Score 10/11 (Bet 365)
In considering who may get on the scoresheet the Swedes will be hoping that Stina Blackstenius can score for the third consecutive game and she is 7/1 (Bet 365) to score the first goal of the match or 13/5 (Bet 365) with the same firm to score anytime.
However, I prefer the look of the odds on offer for Holland hot-shot Vivianne Miedema to add to her astronomical tally of 60 goals for her country at the age of just 22.
The Arsenal striker was the Women's Super League top scorer last season and is 4/1 (William Hill) to fire in the opener, but I would be more inclined to opt for the 13/10 (Bet 365) on offer for Miedema to score anytime.
Miedema, along with fying Dutch wingers Lieke Martens and and Shanice van de Sanden could well prove to be the difference here and see the Oranje seal a place in Sunday's showpiece.
However, the Scandinavian outfit are stubborn and resilient and that could result in late Dutch goals – a recurring theme of this Summer's tournament.
Eight of the Netherlands 10 World Cup 2019 goals have come in the second half of matches, six of which have been scored in the last 20 minutes – including two stoppage time strikes.
In doing so the Dutch ladies have scored in the second half in all five of their games in France thus far.
Therefore, with that in mind, the 3/4 (888Sport) on offer for the Netherlands to score in the second half looks like an attractive angle to consider when these two sides battle it out to determine who faces the USA in Sunday's Women's World Cup final.
This Women's World Cup match between Netherlands and Sweden will be played on Jul 3, 2019 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Netherlands vs Sweden prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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