Chinese sports enthusiasts will see more sports leagues and matches over the Internet. (Photo : Reuters)
England will face host Canada to close out the quarterfinal schedule of the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup. The Canadians will enjoy home court advantage as they battle it out at the BC Place in Vancouver, Canada on Saturday, June 27.
World no. 6 England was coming off a tough 2-1 decision over Norway in their Round-of-16 knockout game. Team captain Steph Houghton and defender Lucy Bronze provided the second-half goals to complete the come-from-behind victory.
The match prior, world no. 8 Canada blanked Switzerland, 1-0, to advance in their bracket. The crowd egged on their team as center forward Josée Bélanger scored the lone goal to lift John Herdman's girls against the Swiss, as per Bleacher Report.
According to ESPN, the Canadians will have the advantage of being familiar with BC Place for most of the tourney, even if they are able to advance to the finals. The only remaining travel for the host team would be in the semis at Edmonton against the winner of the Japan-Australia contest, and that is if they get past the Three Lionesses.
But Mark Sampson's squad is definitely not an easy opponent. They have not yet shown their true form thus far in the tournament, and they could saving their best for tougher opponents like Canada.
Prediction: A tough one. Canada beats England, 1-0, by virtue of crowd support. England should bring their A-game or else they don't stand a chance.
England starting lineup (4-2-2-2 formation): Bardsley; Bronze, Houghton, Bassett, Rafferty; Carney, Williams; Chapman, Moore; Kirby, Duggan
Canada starting lineup (4-3-3 formation): McLeod; Wilkinson, Buchanan, Sesselmann, Chapman; Lawrence, Scott, Schmidt; Tancredi, Bélanger, Sinclair
