Women's World Cup 2019: Who will win the play-off?
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Steph Houghton missed her penalty during England's semi-final match against the USA on Tuesday
After their heartbreaking defeat against the USA in this year's Women's World Cup, many of us have been left wondering where it all went wrong for England.
However, all is not lost!
The Lionesses still have the chance to leave their mark on this year's thrilling tournament as they prepare to take part in this year's third-place play-off later today.
England will be playing Sweden, who lost their match against the Netherlands on Wednesday.
The two nations have never faced each other at a World Cup and tonight's game is bound to be a nail-biting affair.
Ahead of the match's 4pm kick-off in Nice, we've got the lowdown on the top five things to know about each team.
The Lionesses
The Lionesses
1. The Lionesses' have made it to the semi-finals of a major tournament for the third time in a row, having reached this stage in both the 2015 World Cup and the 2017 UEFA Women's Championship. Could this mean the team are in with a good chance of a third place finish today?
2. England defender Millie Bright won't be playing with her teammates after receiving a red card in the game against the USA. Will her departure impact the team's performance?
3. Chelsea midfielder Karen Carney has announced that she'll be retiring from football after today's match. The 31-year-old, who began her career at the age of 14, has been on the England squad for four World Cups.
5. Despite his disappointment following the England squad's semi-final game, manager Phil Neville is positive that his team can claim bronze. He's looking to form a powerful team to face their Swedish opponents.
5. England have scored a total of 12 goals across all their matches at this year's World Cup compared to Sweden's 10. Perhaps this suggests that they have some kind of advantage?
Team Sweden
Swedish squad
1. Neither England or Sweden have won the Women's World Cup title since the competition was first introduced back in 1991. However, Sweden have found themselves in the final before, facing Germany back in 2003.
2. Today's match will be the first time the English and Swedish sides have faced each other at a World Cup. However, Sweden did beat England 2-0 in a friendly last November.
3. Despite not making it to this year's finals, the Swedish team are a strong one. Sweden has been in a whopping 23 major football tournaments and have finished on the podium nine times in total.
4. Sweden were the underdogs in their quarter-final match, having not beaten Germany during a major tournament for 24 years. Germany have been World Cup winners twice, yet this time around, the Swedish team were able to beat the German team 2 - 1.
5. The Swedish team are currently managed by Peter Gerhardsson. Gerhardsson is a retired footballer and began coaching in the 1990s. Like Phil Neville, he is also desperate for his team to nab that precious third place spot in the World Cup.
Do you think England are in with a chance of winning today? Let us know in the comments below!
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