Asking for predictions? Okay, I'll take a stab. Group A: NED-NOR-DEN-BEL Group B: GER-SWE-RUS-ITA Group C: FRA-SUI-AUS-ISL Group D: ESP-ENG-SCO-POR QFs: SWE (though my heart says NED), ESP, GER (though NOR will put up an excellent fight), FRA SFs: ESP, FRA (both upsets, though one more so than the other) Winner: FRA
You're behind the times, then. Spain's got plenty of great players not named Vero. (A large contingent of them made the UWCL SFs with Barca, remember, and Atletico Madrid is no slouch either.) Spain won the Algarve with Vero riding the bench except for the first 65' of the tournament, the team scoring all but one of their goals without her on the field. That's a goal against JPN, three against NOR, and one against CAN - and only one goal against them in that time as well. Spain may not win the tournament, but they're easy bets to make it out of the group (above SCO and POR) and likely through the QFs if they're up against SUI. They also recently played FRA and ENG to just one-goal losses, so it isn't unreasonable to think they could beat one of those teams either on a good day.
I can see Sweden winning this. Mainly cause this game isnt a ko game and the Swedes are good at winning when it doesnt count