Japan Women is aiming to make something out of their appearances in the World Cup as they go against Zambia Women. While Japan are an experienced squad, Zambia are one of the teams who are first-timers here. In the contest, Japan was able to bag the title during the 2011 edition, while being the runners-up in 2015. However, in 2019, Japan only reached the Round-of-16, making them eager to bounce back in this match. On the other hand, this is Zambia‘s debut in the World Cup, and they are hoping to show what they can through the openers. Note that this is not the first for Women’s as this is the first World Cup for a senior squad in Zambia in general. This will be the first meeting between these two teams, and they will meet on July 22, 2023, at 3:00 PM (GMT+8).
Japan Women
Japan is a team who were able to participate in all editions of the World Cup, bagging one title, and one runners-up. They were able to establish themselves as regular in the World Cup, which is why a qualification here is not surprising. Despite their pleasant World Cup finish in the tournament, they were not able to repeat the same run in 2019. They were eliminated as early as the Round-of-16 in that match, not being able to bounce back from their 2015 run. Moreover, they are coming into this game from their mixed results in their last 10 matches. They won five and lost to five, where they are scoreless in their losses. Fortunately though, they were able to defeat Panama in a 5-0 win for their warm-up match, as it will bring them a good run.
Saki Kumagai will captain Japan, with contributions from Moeka Minami, and Shiori Miyake. Moreover, Yui Hasegawa will patrol the midfield with Hikaru Naomoto, and Fuka Nagano. Mina Tanak on the other hand will continue to be a threat for Japan.
Zambia Women
Zambia on the other hand is one of the teams set to debut in this edition of the World Cup, and are aiming to make history here. They were able to secure their spots in the World Cup after reaching the last four of the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations. Moreover, looking at their last game, it seems like Zambia is more than ready to play in the contest. In fact, they had a 3-2 win against Germany during in friendlies, which is huge for Zambia. They were able to defeat Germany, who is currently the second in the FIFA rankings. That win did not only gave them a good momentum, but also the confidence to kick-off their first World Cup ever. Their finish in the Africa Cup of Nations is a surprise, so Zambia is hopeful for another surprise here.
Hazel Nali will be starting for the Goal for Zambia, with Agness Musase, and Lushoma Mweemba protecting her. Moreover, Barbra Banda will captain her country, and give them the confidence here.
Prediction:
Japan Women (2.0)
Odds: -0.86
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