Norway midfielder Maren Mjelde (#6) (Photo : Reuters)
World no. 11 Norway is a slight favorite over higher-seeded world no. 6 England in their Round-of-16 knockout match at the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup to be held at the Lansdowne Stadium in Ottawa, Canada on Monday, June 22.
Norway barged into the knockouts with two impressive wins against Thailand (4-0) and Ivory Coast (3-1), and a 1-1 draw against world no. 1 Germany, as per ESPN. But they settled for second spot in Group B because of Die Nationalelf's superior goals differential due to a 10-0 drubbing of Ivory Coast.
Despite that, Even Pellerud's girls are clicking on all cylinders at the perfect time and so they are one of the top favorites to win this tournament.
Meanwhile, Mark Sampson's squad is equally impressive with 2-1 victories over Mexico and Colombia but they lost their opener against powerhouse France, 0-1, to settle for second place in Group F. However, the coach claimed that his team is "mentally prepared" for this knockout fight, as reported by BBC Sport.
This match is going to be entertaining, but not a lot of goals will be scored. Goalkeepers Ingrid Hjelmseth and Karen Bardsley had proven their ability to hold their ground against the tournament's best and they will show again this time.
The prediction is a close 2-1 Norway win over England. Three Lionesses are ranked higher in the FIFA World Rankings, but the Gresshoppene are believed to be the better team in this tournament. But there is also a possibility that it would end in a draw.
Norway starting lineup (4-3-3 formation): Hjelmseth; Mjelde, Lund, Thorisdottir, Wold; Schjelderup, Ims, Mykjåland; Minde, Herlovsen, Hegerberg
England starting lineup (4-4-2 formation): Bardsley; A. Scott, Houghton, Bassett, Rafferty; Chapman, Williams, J. Scott, Bronze; White, Aluko
