World Cup debutants, Zambia, face a tough opening game in Group C when they take on Japan at the Waikato Stadium on Saturday evening and results leading up to this tournament have been pretty inconsistent which could very well spell trouble for the Copper Queens.
Following a promising run of six wins on the trot from towards the end of July through to mid-September last year which included an emphatic 7-0 victory over Lesotho, Zambia have since struggled to recapture that sort of form in subsequent internationals.
With just a further four wins from their subsequent 11 matches along with being dealt six defeats in the process, Zambia will have to be disciplined at the back if they are to get anything out of this upcoming clash with Japan.
Scoring goals hasn’t been a problem for Zambia but conceding goals at the other end continue to be a major concern for national coach, Bruce Mwape, whose side have shipped a total of 21 goals in these previous 11 matches which includes losing 5-0 twice on the trot to South Korea.
Japan are one of the favourites to emerge from Group C and through to the knockout rounds along with Spain but they too have experienced something of a wobble in previous matches leading up to this World Cup as they have managed to win just three out of their last eight internationals under coach, Futoshi Ikeda, along with being handed five defeats.
The victories against Canada, Portugal and Panama, the latter being a 5-0 thrashing of the Central American side have been overshadowed by recent defeats to England, Spain, Brazil, USA and Denmark so Japan will be hoping they can get off to a winning start against a Zambian side who are 77th in the FIFA rankings.
Japan themselves are ranked 11th and won the World Cup back in 2011 and they secured their place in these World Cup finals thanks to being semi-finalists in the 2022 Asian Cup.
These two sides have never faced each other before in any previous encounter and it’ll be an interesting battle between Zambia who are capable of scoring and also conceding goals while Japan are the technically superior side.
Zambia W v Japan W Verdict
Goals could be a feature in this upcoming fixture as both Zambia and Japan will be eager to get their respective World Cup campaigns off to a winning start but it’s the Japanese that should come out on top in this group opener as they are expected to carve out a few opportunities against a lacklustre Zambian defensive unit.
Therefore, our main bet will be Japan win & Over 3.5 goals @ 2.10
Other side bets worth considering:
Japan win & Both Teams To Score Yes @ 2.30
Correct score: Japan 3-1 @ 10.00
