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Women’s World Cup tips:
- Under 2.5 goals in Switzerland vs Spain – 4/5 with BoyleSports
- Hinata Miyazawa to score vs Norway – 23/10 with Parimatch
- BTTS in Netherlands vs South Africa – 19/20 with Unibet
- Sweden and USA to draw – 9/4 with BetGoodwin
The last 16 phase of the Women’s World Cup starts on Saturday with England now trading as favourites to win the tournament after their impressive showing against China.
Meanwhile, the USA and Spain also remain among the outright favourites in the latest Women’s World Cup odds and they play Sweden and Switzerland respectively this weekend.
We look ahead to the first four matches of the upcoming knockout stage, with betting tips selected for each of the fixtures.
You can choose to back these selections as single bets or alternatively look at an accumulator option which offers the chance to get a bigger potential return if all of the below picks win.
Switzerland vs Spain - Saturday, 6am on BBC One
Spain have drifted on the outright market with bookmakers losing faith after they were surprisingly thrashed 4-0 by Japan in their final group game.
After comfortable wins over Costa Rica and Zambia, Jorge Vilda’s team were stunned by the Nadeshiko and confidence is likely to be fragile ahead of this clash against the Group A winners.
Switzerland operated pragmatically in New Zealand during the group phase, opening with a 2-0 win over the Philippines before goalless draws against Norway and the co-hosts.
Head coach Inka Grings looks likely to tread cautiously with her tactics considering the Swiss are the clear underdogs for this encounter.
Therefore, under 2.5 goals looks to be the best play, with both sides aiming to start the encounter on a solid defensive footing. Spain should win but we’re expecting the margins to be slender so we’re playing it safe with this selection.
Tip: Under 2.5 Goals – 4/5 with BoyleSports
Japan vs Norway - Saturday, 9am on ITV 1
Japan have been the best team in the World Cup so far. The Nadeshiko made short work of Zambia and Costa Rica before producing an incredible performance when beating Spain 4-0.
Futoshi Ikeda’s side can certainly be considered as potential tournament winners, especially with Hinata Miyazawa in such excellent form. They’re currently available at 8/1 on football betting sites.
Miyazawa was at the double when scoring a brace against the Zambians before proving to be chief slayer of Spain with two more goals. That makes her joint-top scorer and we’re expecting the 23-year-old to be on the scoresheet against an unconvincing Norway side.
The Norwegians did sign off in the group phase with a 6-0 win over Philippines, although they had previously failed to score in their first two matches. We make Japan likely winners but prefer to go for the anytime scorer pick.
Tip: Hinata Miyazawa to score – 23/10 with Parimatch
Netherlands vs South Africa - Sunday, 3am on BBC One
Netherlands are warm favourites to win at the Sydney Football Stadium on Sunday, with the Dutch having surprised many by finishing top of a group that also included the United States.
Andries Jonker’s side scored nine goals in three group games, although seven of these were against Vietnam and they will be up against unpredictable opponents in the form of South Africa.
The Banyana Banyana recovered from losing to a strong Sweden side to draw 2-2 with Argentina before a 3-2 win over Italy helped them progress to the last 16.
It's noticeable that South Africa’s three group games included both teams scoring and we can see the same happening here. While Netherlands are overwhelming favourites, there could well be a consolation goal or two scored by a team with nothing to lose.
Tip: Both teams to score – 19/20 with Unibet
Sweden vs USA - Sunday, 10am on ITV 1
This is arguably the pick of the last 16 matches and Sweden will feel annoyed that their “reward” for comfortably winning Group G is a clash against reigning champions USA. However, the Americans haven’t yet suggested that they are ready to retain their title.
Two-time USA World Cup winner Carli Lloyd has been outspoken with her criticism of her nation’s tactics, with the post coming to their rescue against the Portuguese or the States would have faced a shock exit.
While captain Lindsey Horan has snapped back at the “noise” surrounding the team’s performances, there are clearly some red flags.
After a routine win over Vietnam, Vlatko Andonovski’s side had to come from behind to draw with Netherlands and they were then held to that goalless draw against Portugal.
It’s therefore sensible enough to back the big odds on this clash ending all square, especially given how strong Sweden have been.
We can see this encounter at the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium going to extra time, with the Scandinavian side having narrowly edged out South Africa before a comprehensive thrashing of Italy.
They laboured to a 2-0 win over Argentina in their final group game and have enough quality to match their American opponents here.
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Last Updated: 14th March 2024, 07:22 AM
