STUTTGART, Germany — One of the pre-tournament favorites will be going home when two-time champion United States plays Brazil in this weekend’s quarterfinal action at the women’s World Cup.
Host Germany, meanwhile, will be favored against Japan as it seeks a third straight world title, while England meets France, and Sweden plays Australia.
“It’s now all or nothing,” said Germany midfielder Celia Okoyino da Mbabi as Germany prepares for Japan in Wolfsburg today.
After three successive wins, the last a confidence- boosting 4-2 victory over France, Germany is expected to be at full strength — with record goal-scorer Birgit Prinz probably on the bench again.
“We know our strengths, and that’s why we know we can beat the Japanese,” Okoyino da Mbabi said.
However, Japan is a team that likes to keep the ball and play a fast, technically accomplished passing game, as it showed impressively in beating Mexico 4-0 and New Zealand 2-1.
Japan suffered a setback in losing 2-0 to England, but coach Norio Sasaki believes the team has learned its lessons from that game. “We want to play Japanese, and then we can win,” she said.
The United States, which has never finished lower than third in five previous editions of the World Cup, must bounce back from a 2-1 loss to Sweden against a Brazil side that has won three of its group games without conceding a goal.
Pia Sundhage, the Swedish coach of the U.S. team, however, believes the pressure will be on the Brazilians, who have never won a world title, in Sunday’s showdown in Dresden.
“In order to play in the final, we need to step up and be sharper with our chances,” she said after the loss to Sweden. “We start with Brazil. That will motivate the players more, and this is a big chance.”
