European champions England Women will begin their quest for World Cup glory on Saturday as they take on Haiti Women at Brisbane Stadium. This will mark England's fifth appearance in the tournament, while Haiti will be making their debut. The Lionesses go into their opening group match clash as the heavy favourites at 1/100 with Betfred with Haiti at 28/1 to produce a shock win and a draw is 20/1.
In their previous World Cup campaigns, the Lionesses fell short of reaching the semi-finals, but in the last two editions, they managed to make it to the final four. Unfortunately, their dreams of lifting the trophy were dashed by a 2-1 defeat to the USA in the last tournament.
Under the guidance of Sarina Wiegman, who led the Netherlands to the World Cup final in 2019, England has experienced significant success. Wiegman has an impressive record, with only one loss in her 32 games in charge. She has also led the team to victory in the European Championships and the Finalissima.
In their history, the Lionesses have lost their opening match of the World Cup only once, winning two and drawing two. They will be determined to start their campaign on a positive note before facing Denmark and China in their remaining group stage matches.
On the other hand, Haiti had to go through the intercontinental playoffs to secure their spot in the Women's World Cup for the first time ever. After defeating Senegal in the semi-final, they clinched a narrow 2-1 victory over Chile to secure their ticket to Australia and New Zealand.
Premier League odds and betting tipsRanked 87th in the FIFA World Rankings, Haiti is the lowest-ranked team in Group D. They face a challenging task ahead as they prepare to take on England and their other group stage opponents. Their recent form has not been promising, with four consecutive defeats, including a 2-1 loss to South Korea in a friendly match earlier this month.
Haiti's main area of concern lies in their defense, having conceded 11 goals in their last four games. They will need to tighten up their defensive line if they hope to pose a threat to England in their opening match.
As the Women's World Cup kicks off, all eyes will be on England as they aim to build on their recent success and make a strong start to their campaign. Meanwhile, Haiti will be looking to make a statement in their debut appearance and defy the odds against a formidable opponent.
Tips
- Alessia Russo to score two or more goals - 7/4
- England to win to nil - 2/7
- England to score over 4.5 goals - 11/10
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