Women’s World Cup Group G Preview: Swedish Dark Horses Face Kgatlana’s Banyana Banyana

• Sweden always head into tournaments as favourites but never live up to the expectations
• They will be expected to dominate Group G, which has Italy, Argentina, and South Africa
• South Africa has a decent chance of making it out of the group stage after conquering Africa

Sweden will not be one of the outright favourites to win the Women's World Cup, but with their squad depth and experience, they are bound to reach the latter stages of the competition and perhaps pull off a surprise.

They will face an Italian side looking for rejuvenation after a shambolic Euro 2022 performance, an Argentinian side that has never reached the World Cup round of 16, and a South African side that will only be participating in their second tournament.

On the surface, it looks like this will be Sweden's group for the taking, but how do their chances look long-term?

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Sports Brief has also done previews for Group A, Group B, Group C, Group D, Group E, and Group F with one more to follow.

Sweden

Sweden has reached the semi-finals of their last five appearances in six major championships. They lost to Canada in the Olympics final shoot, two years after they lost narrowly to the Netherlands in France in 2019.

Hopes of a better performance in Australia and New Zealand 2023 took a huge blow when they were outclassed 4-0 by eventual winners, England, in the Euro 2022 Championships before Australia beat them by a similar scoreline in a friendly.

These gaps in defence are what Peter Gerhardsson must address before he faces South Africa on July 23. He will have a crop of experienced players led by captain, Kosovare Asslani, and newly-signed Bayern Munich player, Magdalena Erikson, to call upon.

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However, he has been left straddling a thin line after right-back, Hanna Lundkvist, withdrew from the squad on Tuesday with a sprained ankle. First option, Hanna Glas, was left out entirely.

Can they better their 2003 final appearance and 2019 third-place finish? Only time will tell.

Player(s) to watch: Stina Blackstenius, Kosovare Asslani

Italy

Italy's best-ever performances at a World Cup were quarter-final exits in 1991 and in 2019. They head Down Under for their fourth appearance looking to emerge from a group that has no real favourites, bar Sweden.

Milena Bertolini has been in charge of the squad since 2017 and over that period, overseen qualification to France 2019 and their Euro 2022 campaign.

To their advantage, the women's Serie A has gained more prominence, with players from AS Roma giving Juventus stars a run for their money.

Bertolini's star player will undoubtedly be Cristiana Girelli, who can occupy a number of positions up front. She scored a hat-trick against Jamaica in 2019 and will be looking keen on increasing her tally yet again.

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The coach's favoured formations are either 4-3-3 or 4-4-2 which allow Girelli to thrive in either position.

Player(s) to watch; Cristiana Girelli, Ariana Carusso

South Africa

The reigning African champions were riding high ahead of the tournament just before a dispute over payment with the federation set them back.

However, Desiree Ellis will be optimistic that the tenets of the squad are not affected as they seek to shake the world on their second attempt, months after beating Morocco to win the Women's Africa Cup of Nations.

Banyana Banyana did suffer heavy defeats afterwards to Brazil and Australia before beating Costa Rica on July 15 in their last warm-up game.

Compared to their 2019 group stage opponents, the South Africans have landed an 'easier' group and dreaming for a first win or even passage to the next stage won't be that crazy.

Part of Ellis' plan will be to do what she has always done - encourage her team to play in one of Thembi Kgatlana or Jermaine Seoposenwe or both of them. Should the two click, they might be in business.

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But to combat the nature of attack lines they are bound to face, the experienced Noko Matlou will need to be alert to marshall a defence that has conceded 13 goals against Brazil and Australia.

Player(s) to watch; Thembi Kgatlana, Jermaine Seopsenwe

Argentina

Well, how perfect would it be if the women's team would repeat the fete of their men's team? It could be a perfect script, only that La Albiceleste don't have the firepower Lionel Scaloni's side have.

But for what they lack in star names, German Portanova's ladies have the drive and determination. They put on a show in Copa America before eventually finishing third to qualify automatically for the competition.

Portanova's first achievement, even before they qualified for the World Cup, was the convincing of key player Estefania Banini to return to the fold.

His hopes of getting out of Group G will greatly depend on the kind of form Banini will bring to Australia and New Zealand.

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The Atletico Madrid star is one of the country's most successful footballers, having been elected into FIFA's World XI in 2021. Her ability to create and score goals will be crucial for Argentina to get out of the group stage for the first time in history.

Player(s) to watch; Estefania Banini, Yamila Rodriguez