Women's Euro 2022 predictions: Spain to sneak past gutsy Denmark

Saturday will feature the conclusion of Group B at Women's Euro 2022 and the first part of the quarter-final draw will be revealed.

Eight-time winners Germany have already booked their spot in the knockout stage with successive victories and face eliminated Finland in their final group contest.

Meanwhile, Denmark and Spain lock horns in Brentford to determine who will join Martina Voss-Tecklenburg's side in the quarter-finals.

Denmark vs Spain (Saturday, 8pm BST)

It is all to play for on Saturday as Denmark meet Spain at the Brentford Community Stadium.

The Danes have to win to progress to the last eight but a draw will be enough for Jorge Vilda's outfit,with England waiting for the winner in the quarter-finals.

Team news

Spain's defensive concerns will not be helped by the potential absence of young talent Laia Aleixandri for this match, while Irene Guerrero could come into the midfield.

Up top, manager Vilda may bring in Esther Gonzalez as La Roja aim to be more prolific in the final third.

For Denmark, the big news is that Chelsea star Pernille Harder is fit despite having come off against Finland with a head injury.

Stats

Spain's 24-match unbeaten run in all competitions was brought to an end by Germany in their last outing but they will not be fussed about that if they book their place in the knockout stages.

Goals have been hard to come by in theirlast six games, with four of those featuring fewer than 3.5.

The same can be said for Denmark, with one or both teams failing to score in seven of the Red and White's last 10 matches in all competitions.

Prediction

Spain were the team many expected to lift the trophy this summer but Vilda's side face a fight to merely stay in the tournament on Saturday.

Provided they avoid defeat in Brentford, they will progress and that should be the case given how wasteful Denmark were against Finland, scoring only once from 19 shots.

Harder is a world-class talent but does not have a lot of quality around her and the Euro 2017 runners-up have looked short of confidence in both of their group fixtures.

Spain's title credentials have taken a hit and they were not helped by Alexia Putellas withdrawing from the squad on the eve of the tournament.

However, they should have too much class and come out on top during a contest that is likely to contain three or fewer goals.

Finland vs Germany (Saturday, 8pm BST)

With qualification already in the bag, Germany will look to make it three wins from three when they take on Finland in Milton Keynes.

The Germans — the most successful team in the competition's history — have flown out of the blocks so far, while Finland will be playing for pride.

Team news

Finland will be weakened with Anna Westerlund, captain Tinja-Riikka Korpela and Tuija Hyyrynen all unavailable due to illness, while Hammarby forward Adelina Engman is also a doubt with a thigh problem.

Meanwhile, Germany will likely ring the changes with the group already won and are definitely without suspended duo Lena Oberdorf and Felicitas Rauch. 

Lea Schuller could again be out as she recovers from cornavirus and Lina Magull could be rested.

Stats

Germany have found their groove of late, winning 11 of their previous 15 matches in all competitions.

Voss-Tecklenburg's side have pulled off wins to nil in four of their last five games and they may improve that record, with Finland only scoring on two occasions in their previous two outings.

Prediction

This is a dead rubber with the outcome of Group B unaffected by the result but that does not mean it will be a match short of entertainment.

Finland will want to build on what was a decent performance against Denmark, while there will be a handful of German players who have been waiting in the wings and want to impress.

The Germans should nonetheless win comfortably, given how they thumped Denmark 4-0 and overcame Spain 2-0, and a win to nil looks likely.

In terms of a goalscorer prediction, Klara Buhl should be confident of keeping her place in the starting line-up and can net, having broken the deadlock against Spain last time out and fired a hat-trick in a pre-tournament friendly with Switzerland.

LiveScore Bet Squads

Some of the biggest stars in women’s football are hunting for glory at Euro 2022 — and you can earn cash when they perform with Squads, our fantastic free-to-play game.

After opting in at LiveScore Bet, simply follow the prompts to reveal your randomly generated players for the upcoming round of games before spinning the wheel to see your personalised ‘reward amount’.

Once that is done, it is just a case of sitting back and cheering on your players — because every time a member of your Squad scores, you net a cash reward!

T&Cs apply. Click HERE for more information.