Women's World Cup 2015: Predicting Results for Remainder of Tournament

England became the fourth and final team to make the Women's World Cup semi-finals on Saturday as they beat hosts Canada 2-1 in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Defending champions Japan now stand between England and a place in the final as the Lionesses enter yet more uncharted territory this deep into a World Cup.

The other semi-final will see a titanic battle between the world's two best teams, as USA and Germany—both two-time winners of the tournament—clash in Montreal.

Read on for predictions for both semi-finals, the potential final, the third-place playoff and a closer look at both last-four clashes. 

Date	Time (ET/BST)	Stage	(Predicted) Fixture	Predicted Score
June 30	7 p.m./12 a.m.	Semi-final	USA vs. Germany	2-1
July 1	7 p.m./12 a.m.	Semi-final	Japan vs. England	1-1 (Japan to win on penalties)
July 4	4 p.m./9 p.m.	Third-place Playoff	England vs. Germany	1-3
July 5	7 p.m./12 a.m.	Final	USA vs. Japan	1-0

USA vs. Germany

This is a match worthy of any final, but the quirks of the bracket put Germany and the USA on the same side of the draw and on a collision course for a last-four meeting.

Neither side necessarily cruised through their quarter-finals, with USA edging China 1-0 while Germany needed penalties to get past a high-quality French side.

However, the quality on both sides is undeniable, and Tuesday's clash in Montreal will see the likes of Anja Mittag, Celia Sasic, Nadine Angerer, Hope Solo, Abby Wambach and Carli Lloyd all on show.

Head coach Jill Ellis' U.S. women's national soccer team have failed as yet to set the tournament alight in an attacking sense, but their defence has been rock-solid, with the only goal they have conceded coming in their opener against Australia.

This stability at the back will be vital against Germany—strikers Sasic and Mittag have 11 goals between them already in the tournament—and centre-backs Becky Sauerbrunn and Julie Johnston will have a huge role to play, per BT Sport's Ian Darke:

USA have not won a World Cup since 1999, losing on penalties in the final in 2011 to Japan and finishing third in the previous two tournaments.

The memory of those disappointments will no doubt drive them on against Germany, and if they can defend as well as they have been doing, they have the attacking talent to edge the contest.

The experience and talent on both sides is staggering, but USA should step up to the plate and give themselves another chance of glory by making the final.

Predicted Score: 2-1

England vs. Japan

Manager Mark Sampson's England side made history by beating Norway in the last 16, the Lionesses' first knockout-round victory at a World Cup.

A terrific 2-1 win over the hosts confirmed a semi-final berth, which now puts them in exalted company as far as England football is concerned, per Sampson:

However, they face a genuinely massive task in their bid to reach the final, with reigning champions Japan surely favourites to advance, per NBC Sports' Jeff Kassouf:

Japan won three from three in their group and then saw off the Netherlands and Australia to make the semis.

They have the experience of this stage of a World Cup, and this could prove vital on Wednesday in Edmonton, Alberta.

England have a terrific team spirit and some real quality going forward, although they have been prone to mistakes at the back, per the Mail on Sunday's Oliver Holt:

A clean sheet seems unlikely for either side, and extra time and penalties could be needed. In such a scenario, Japan will have the edge.

They won the World Cup in a shootout in 2011, and England lost to France in such circumstances in the quarter-finals—not to mention their male counterparts' continued woes from the spot.

England are fully deserving of their semi-final place, but the experience and quality in the Japanese side should be enough to send them to a second consecutive World Cup final.

Predicted Score: 1-1 (Japan win on penalties)