England v Brazil Finalissima Tips: Lionesses to clinch the crown

England (W) v Brazil (W)
Thursday April 06, 19:45

Lionesses have earned their glittering stage

England's win at the European Championship last year on home soil was about so much more than lifting a long-awaited trophy.

It was about inspiring a generation of young girls to want to play football, and it was about changing attitudes. Of course, there is so much work to do, but rising attendances in the WSL, UWCL and at international level show the impact Sarina Wiegman's Lionesses have had.

Not only are the national team's games being taken to Wembley, but tickets are selling out quickly (I was caught out and had to wait for returns ahead of Thursday's clash, but the Dad points are safely banked).

England will face South American champions Brazil as the queens of their continent, a side that has conquered Europe, and that now hopes to go global at the World Cup this summer.

England in fine form

Since that dramatic Euro final win over Germany, Wiegman's side is unbeaten in nine games, winning seven and drawing two. In the recent Arnold Clark Cup, England won 4-0 against South Korea, 2-1 against Italy and they demolished Belgium 6-1 to seal a tournament victory.

Wiegman is without some key performers for this Wembley spectacular. Beth Mead was instrumental to England's summer success, but the Arsenal star has a long-term injury.

Chelsea centre-back Millie Bright has just joined Mead on the sidelines, while her Blues' team-mate Fran Kirby is also out.

Euros heroines Mary Earps, Lucy Bronze, Leah Williamson, Georgia Stanway, Ella Toone, Georgia Stanway (who has been in great form for Bayern Munich), Chloe Kelly, Lauren Hemp, Keira Walsh, Rachel Daly and Alessia Russo are all in the mix.

Despite her excellent form for Tottenham, striker Bethany England didn't make the cut.

It's worth considering that under Wiegman, England are unbeaten in 29 matches, and across those games they have scored 137 goals and conceded just nine.

Their last defeat was against Canada back in April 2021. With Wiegman very much in World Cup preparation mode, this is a game she and England will treat with the utmost seriousness.

Wily Sundhage worthy of respect

There isn't much in football that Brazil boss Pia Sundhage hasn't seen or done.

As a player, the Swede won the 1984 Euros and reached two further finals, also featuring in the first ever Women's World Cup.

As a coach Sundhage led the US to Olympic gold in both 2008 and 2012, she took her country to the Olympic final in 2016 and she led Brazil to Copa America success last year.

That continental triumph has given Brazil and Sundhage a shot at the first ever women's Finalissima - a one-off clash between the best in Europe and the champions of South America.

The 63-year-old has embraced Brazilian culture, and has refreshed a team that still has veterans like 37-year-old living legend Marta in the mix.

Brazil were rock-solid at the Copa America, winning all six of their games without conceding a single goal. Argentina were swept aside 4-0 along the way, although the final victory over Colombia was far less straightforward, as Debinha's first-half penalty proved to be the only goal.

Brazil's preparations for the World Cup aren't as impressive or consistent as England's have been.

The SheBelieves Cup saw the South Americans lose to Canada and the USA, and a 1-0 win over Japan was their only success. They also lost a friendly against Canada in November.

Sundhage's job is made tougher by the loss of Debinha to injury, while Marta has suffered a setback in her recovery.

An ACL injury has sidelined the forward for a long-time, and although that problem has been resolved, a thigh issue has put her back on the sidelines. Lorena, Angelina and Tainara are also missing.

England to edge competitive clash

Given England's goalscoring form under Wiegman, it's tempting to think that the Lionesses can steamroller an injury-plagued Brazil.

However, Sundhage knows how to set a team up, and only two of Brazil's last 11 games in all competitions have featured four goals or more.

England - backed by a huge crowd - should be too strong for Brazil over the ninety minutes, but the absence of some key offensive players for the visitors suggests that they might not be bringing too much to the table in an attacking sense.

If we back England to win and Under 3.5 Goals on the Betfair Sportsbook's Bet Builder, that covers the 1-0, 2-0, 2-1 and 3-0 England wins. I think that's a fair range of results to be on board with.