Womens World Cup

[clubgowi]

Sweden - Nigeria


These two are in the group of death (there is always one !), along with the USA and Australia , but with four of the six third placed teams also making it through to the knockout stage, it is not quite as daunting a prospect as it could be, but with a game against the US to play, neither will want to lose this opener and that might dictate how this will be played out. Anyway, for today, it is Nigeria I wish to discuss. Their squad is very young, with 18 players aged between 18-23 , but six of them were the core of the U20 team which lost after extra time to Germany in the 2014 World Cup, scoring 15 goals en route to the decider. The competition was held in Canada, so the FA and squad will know what to expect and they thrived on the atrificial turf, Asisat Oshoala who is now with Liverpool, was top scorer in 2014 and voted best player in the tournament. Nigeria were incredibly impresive there and I am sure that they have unearthered another gem or two and despite one or two false dawns previously, this might really be the "golden generation", I think that the squad is so young and yet "only" six from the U20 team have made it, kind of highlights their potential. They have arrived with a target of a top four finish and coach Edwin Okon said: “What they lack in experience, they make up with their skills, strength and strong mentality." With this spirit, I can beat my chest that we can get to the semi-finals." We are African champions and are going to prove it in Canada.” Forget what you might have seen from the Ivory Coast yesterday, this is far more cultured team, they themselves put four past IC in the African Championships and also showed they could keep things tight in a recent 0-0 draw with Canada, where they were trying out a new formation. Nigeria really could be the surprise package at these championships, Sweden admit that they know "nothing" about their opponent and I see no reason why they should be asked to give up more than a full goal, in a match which could be cagey early and avoiding defeat will be a first priority.

Nigeria +1.25 ball 2.12 asian line/Sportmarket.

[TempleBar]

Io invece ho preso il Goal fra Svezia e Nigeria a stake 2 a 1.80 @bet365. Troppo ingenerosa a mio avviso la quota a sfavore della Nigeria che, pur inferiore alle avversarie sulla carta, si trova pur sempre in un ottimo rush di risultati positivi. Ragion per cui credo che le africane possano dire la loro in questa partita. Prevedo un gol per parte.

[TempleBar]

Io invece ho preso il Goal fra Svezia e Nigeria a stake 2 a 1.80 @bet365. Troppo ingenerosa a mio avviso la quota a sfavore della Nigeria che, pur inferiore alle avversarie sulla carta, si trova pur sempre in un ottimo rush di risultati positivi. Ragion per cui credo che le africane possano dire la loro in questa partita. Prevedo un gol per parte.

3-3, e brava la Nigeria! ;)

[clubgowi]

Women's World Cup: France-England



On paper, France are the more talented team and have never lost to England in five meetings, although two were level after 90 minutes, including the 2011 World Cup semi final where the French forced a late equaliser after trailing for 30 minutes, before winning in extra time. However, I feel a quote of -0.75 ball and odds of sub 1.80 are terribly short, do not reflect how this will probably play out and there is a chance that looking at the bigger picture, that France might not even want to win !


Both should qualify regardless of what happens today and a draw would be perfectly acceptable for either , the group winner will face the runner up from Group E and then most likely a quarter final with Germany, the runner up would face the second team from B and a last eight meeting with probably the winner from A......Canada or Netherlands. Any nation in world football would prefer to put off a meeting with the Germans as long as possible and a point today makes sense for the two strongest teams in the group, as, on top of anything else, it keeps all options down the line open. England are a far more upbeat group under Mark Sampson, the mood not being good at the end of Hope Powell's tenure and the new coach has spent a lot of time getting this group re-bonded. England have invested a lot of money on introducing sports psychologists and motivational specialists to the squad and focusing on individual improvement, both on and off the field. They are a much more fluid team now, certainly a better passing team, which is to be expected, with Sampson formerly working under Roberto Martinez at Swansea. Everything now is geared towards tournament play and they have used warm up matches and friendlies exactly as what they were intended to be, games to experiment, maybe make mistakes and learn from. They expect to hit the ground running and I favour them to take something from their opener. England +0.75 ball 2.12 asian line/Sportmarket.