England and Haiti will meet at Brisbane Stadium for this opening Group D clash on Saturday night with England looking to win and win by a handsome margin while opponents, Haiti, will be looking to contain The Lionesses as best they can as they make their debut on the World Cup stage.
England won their European World Cup qualifying group at a canter as they finished top of Group D having won all eight of their group matches, scoring an impressive total of 80 goals along without conceding a single goal in the process as they finished eight points clear of runners-up, Austria.
This certainly places England in the driving seat ahead of this upcoming tussle with Haiti and although they were pushed hard by Brazil in the CONMEBOL/UEFA Women’s finalissima, England came through on penalties.
A subsequent 2-0 defeat to Australia and being held to a 0-0 draw at home by Portugal are likely to serve as ‘wake-up calls’ prior to this tournament but The Lionesses look to be one of the nations to beat in this World Cup having won 26 of their last 32 matches overall.
Haiti secured their place in their first ever World Cup finals by beating Senegal 4-0 and then Chile 2-1 in the inter-confederation play-offs to reach the group stage proper of this year’s World Cup.
Haiti are the lowest ranked nation in the FIFA rankings at 55th in this Group D quartet and therefore likely to have a tough baptism of fire with the likes of England, Denmark and China all seeking comprehensive wins against the Caribbean debutants, starting with The Lionesses on Saturday night.
Results since securing qualification for this World Cup have also taken a turn for the worse for Haiti as they have lost five of their last six games overall whilst picking up just one win which came in the form of a 3-1 home win against Moldova.
However, losses to Nigeria, Guatemala, Venezuela, Costa Rica and Korea Republic will have done nothing for their confidence prior to this group opener.
England W v Haiti W Verdict
Having been beaten at the semi-final stage in 2015 and 2019 World Cups, England will be desperate to go at least one step better and make the final of this year’s tournament and they are expected to produce a comfortable victory at the expense of Haiti at Brisbane Stadium with goals also featuring prominently.
Therefore, our main bet will be Over 4.5 goals @ 1.80
Other side bets worth considering:
England win & Under 4.5 goals @ 2.00
Correct score: England 4-0 @ 6.00
