The round of 16 at the Women’s World Cup continues on Monday and Tuesday, and the Action Network has you covered with our favorite betting props from the matches.
Our first play comes in the match between England and Nigeria, where I expect the Lionesses to dominate from start to finish.
Meanwhile, the next bet is in Jamaica’s fixture against Colombia, a match in which I don’t see having many goals from either nation.
We’ve had a day of goals and another of high drama in the knockout rounds so far. So, let’s see what we have in store for this slate of matches.
World Cup Picks – England vs Nigeria & Jamaica vs Colombia
England vs Nigeria – England HT/FT (-130 via FanDuel)
After surprising many by advancing out of a tough group, Nigeria secured their place in this match by going undefeated in Group B, outlasting a Canadian side that came into the tournament ranked in the top 10 of the FIFA rankings.
However, the Super Falcons have had some luck along the way. In three group stage games, Nigeria finished with a negative xGDiff and lost the xG battle in two fixtures, according to fbref.com.
Meanwhile, the superb play by England does not come as a shock, especially after they won the Euros last summer and entered as the No. 4 team in the world.
I am looking to back the favorites in this spot, but you have to get clever to claim better odds. So, my best bet is for the Lionesses to be winning at halftime and full-time at -130 odds via FanDuel.
Over the last two years, this has been a very profitable bet for England, with this same play cashing in their last nine victories in regular time. This includes all three games in this tournament.
The mismatches in the knockout rounds so far have not been very competitive, and I have a feeling this one may not be either.
Jamaica vs Colombia – Both Teams to Score – No (-145 via DraftKings)
Making it out of the group stage is a major achievement for both of these countries, but one of them will make it a step further with a result here.
After topping Group H, Colombia won their group at the World Cup for the first time in their nation’s history, while their last trip to the knockout rounds came in 2015.
Meanwhile, Jamaica may be the story of the tournament. After starting a GoFundMe earlier this year, the Reggae Girlz stunned the world and are set to make their debut in the round of 16.
Because of all of these storylines, this is a very intriguing match, but I’m not expecting this to be a very exciting game on the field.
One of the key reasons for this bet has been how fortunate the two teams have been in front of goal. Starting first with Colombia, this was a team that generated an average of just 0.63 non-penalty xG and 0.33 big scoring chances per match in the group stage.
As for Jamaica, the Reggae Girlz have been worse, putting up just 0.5 xG per 90 minutes and no big chances so far in the tournament.
When you add in how tight teams can play once they reach this stage of the competition, I really don’t see a lot of high-quality chances in this match.
