Spain vs South Africa Women’s World Cup 2019 Betting Tip
The second match in Group B at this summer’s Women’s World Cup takes place in Le Harve, with Spain and South Africa battling it out for three points. With the duo being the underdogs in a group that also contains Germany and China, a win for either side would give them a good chance of qualifying for the Round of 16.
Spain vs South Africa
- Women’s World Cup
- Stade Océane, Le Harve
- Saturday 8th June
- 17:00 UK Time
Spain vs South Africa Match Preview
Spain take on World Cup debutants South Africa on the opening Saturday of the tournament in France, with the European side looking to continue their improvement at the highest level over recent years. Now ranked at 13 in the world, Spain are undoubtedly the more skilful of the two teams, however South Africa proved during the African Cup of Nations that they are also an increasingly strong outfit. Despite not being one of the more high-profile ties during the tournament, a large number of bets are expected to be placed on the match, so let’s take a closer look at the two teams, including their player availability and recent form, starting with Spain.
Spain Team News & Form
Spain qualified for their second straight World Cup after winning their respective group, winning all eight of their matches, scoring 25 goals in the process. Head Coach Jorge Vilda has now been in charge of the national team since back in 2015, with the Spanish squad having a good mix of both youth and experience in France. The likes of former Arsenal midfielder Marta Corredera and Atletico Madrid striker Olga García are among their most exciting talents, however it is experienced forward Jennifer Hermoso who is likely to be the star of the show, having scored 27 international goals to date.
Spain recovered from a 2-1 defeat against England to comfortably see off Cameroon in their latest warm-up match, where three second half goals helped them to a 4-0 success. La Roja has also beaten both Brazil and Switzerland so far in 2019, demonstrating their potential in France this summer. Despite having been drawn in a tough group alongside Germany and China, Spain are certainly in with a chance of making it safely through to the knockout phase of the competition, especially if they can overcome South Africa.
South Africa Team News & Form
At No.49 in the world rankings, South Africa are one of the weakest teams in the competition on paper, however their performance during the recent African Cup of Nations shows their definite potential. South Africa were beaten on penalties by Nigeria in the final, with Head Coach Desiree Ellis having made a significant impact following her appointment in 2016. Striker Thembi Kgatlana is perhaps the biggest goalscoring threat for South Africa, with the 23-year-old having recently signed for Chinese giants Beijing BG Phoenix F.C. Elsewhere, club teammate Linda Motlhalo will look to pull the strings in midfield, with the 20-year-old having been backed to have a big future in the women’s game.
South Africa were soundly beaten by the United States in a pre-tournament friendly, having held Jamaica to a 1-1 draw just days before. In fact, you have to go back to the 2018 African Cup of Nations to find South Africa’s last victory, with Banyana Banyana having endured a disappointing Cyprus Cup campaign too.
Spain vs South Africa Head to Head
The two nations have never previously met in either a competitive or friendly fixture, meaning that no conclusions can be made when it comes to their head-to-head record. As a result, form and player availability is likely to have more of an impact upon the result in France on June 8th.
Spain vs South Africa Betting Odds and Predictions
Given their recent form and improvement on the international stage over recent years, it is Spain who are the favourites to claim an opening win in Group B with the majority of bookmakers. Jorge Vilda’s side can be backed for the win at best odds of 1/8 with bookmaker 888Sport, whilst those looking to back a surprise success for World Cup debutants South Africa can take advantage of a price of 20/1 with 22Bet. Meanwhile, with both sides knowing that a loss would make qualification from Group B extremely difficult, a draw is also worth considering, with this market coming with best odds of 13/2 at William Hill ahead of kick-off.
Top Spain vs South Africa Betting Tip
Having taken all of the relevant information and statistics into account, our top betting tip for the Women’s World Cup Group B clash between Spain and South Africa is to bet on under 2.5 goals being scored during the match, a market which is available at odds of 7/5 with 888Sport.
- Odds above average
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- Odds above average
- Fair new customer bonus
- Outstanding football betting selection