Women's Euro 2022 semifinal preview - England over Sweden; Germany to beat France?

We're almost at the end of the Women's Euros 2022, and what a pair of games we have this week in the semifinals: Host nation England will do battle with the No. 2 team in the world, Sweden, while Germany and France square off on Wednesday in what has been a historically feisty affair.

— Euro 2022: Daily guide to coverage, fixtures, more — Every Euros game LIVE on ESPN: Navigate the schedule — Laurens: Rejoice! We have the perfect Euros semifinalists

Who will advance to Sunday's final at Wembley? Which players will be instrumental in that progress? And who are we picking to go through? Here's what you need to know to get ready for Tuesday's and Wednesday's semifinals.

Jump to: England-Sweden | Germany-France

England stormed through the group stages, winning all three of their matches without conceding a goal. It started with a tough task against Austria, where Beth Mead's goal saw them through 1-0, but they then swiped aside Norway 8-0 and Northern Ireland 5-0. The quarterfinal saw them faced with a diligent, well-organised Spain side, and they needed an 84th-minute equaliser from Ella Toone to force extra time. From there, Georgia Stanway's superb effort from distance was enough to give them a 2-1 victory.

Sweden opened with a 1-1 draw with the Netherlands and then secured their spot at the top of Group C with a 2-1 win over Switzerland and a 5-0 triumph over Portugal. Despite the COVID-19 issues within the camp as five players tested positive, they managed to get past Belgium 1-0 to secure their spot in the semifinals. Sweden dominated the game and had 33 shots to Belgium's three, but a remarkable performance from goalkeeper Nicky Evrard kept Sweden at bay until they finally got the breakthrough in the 92nd minute