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England’s WWC campaign kicks off on Saturday morning with a winnable-looking match in Group D against Haiti. Following their success in their Euros, The Lionesses are amongst the favourites for success this summer and they will be expected to get off to a flying start. The match kicks off at 10:30am UK time.
England Women
Sarina Wiegman has described her team as being in a ‘good place’ ahead of their first World Cup contest. It’s been a historic 12 months for the Lionesses and they have the chance to add to their recent achievements with their first-ever World Cup success. Since their triumph at the Euros, England have been hit by a number of injuries including Beth Mead and Leah Williamson, both of whom will play no part in this tournament. Millie Bright has been deemed fit enough to participate and will captain the side throughout the competition.
Match has ended
Nevertheless, England have got a decent depth to their squad and there are a number of players to watch out for including Lauren James, who is already off the mark for her country.
England’s friendly results have been less than convincing with the Lionesses drawing 0-0 against Portugal and losing 2-0 to Australia. Despite this, Wiegman’s teams always tend to perform at major tournaments and have been handed a relatively kind draw.
England finished fourth in the 2019 World Cup, winning five of their seven matches and conceding on just five occasions. They kept four clean sheets during the tournament and should be tough to beat in New Zealand.
Haiti Women
Haiti have been written off by many pundits, however, they have insisted that they aren’t here to simply ‘make up the numbers’. Despite some unrest domestically, Haiti are a well-organised outfit and have previously beaten some decent opponents including Mexico and Senegal. Despite this, their recent form is far from inspiring with a friendly defeat to South Korea following losses in the CAC to Venezuela and Costa Rica.
Haiti haven’t qualified for a World Cup since 1991 and have been drawn in a relatively tough section. They are likely to set up conservatively, however, they looked far more effective in the CONCACAF Women’s Championship once they’d switched to a 4-3-3.
Nerilia Mondesir will be key to their chances of qualifying at this tournament. The Grenadieres’ skipper has been scoring goals at all levels since being introduced to the international set-up and averaging just over a goal a game internationally.
Head to Head
This will be England and Haiti’s first-ever meeting.
Key Betting Stats
- England didn’t concede a single goal during their qualifying campaign.
- Sarina Wiegman has won 18 of her 19 matches at major tournaments.
- Sarina Wiegman has won every single competitive game since taking charge of the Lionesses.
- England kept clean sheets in each of their three group stage games at the Euros.
- Nerilia Mondesir has scored 18 goals in 12 appearances for Haiti
- Haiti scored six ties across their two inter-continental play-off matches.
Match Prediction
England have had a fair few setbacks during their preparations for this tournament with several players injured or not being risked. Their squad looks very different to the one which was victorious at the Euros, however, Sarina Wiegman’s tactical acumen should be enough to steer them through.
Winning Combo
England to Win and Under 4 Goals
Odds – 2/1 with Bet365 Bet Builder
Best Bookmaker
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