New Zealand and Norway face off on Thursday morning to kick off the Women’s World Cup at Eden Park. This is a group A matchup. 

New Zealand vs Norway Odds

Norway is the favorite sitting at -360 while New Zealand is the underdog sitting at +850. The total in this game sits at 2.5 goals with the over paying out at -175. 

New Zealand Betting Preview

New Zealand got a free pass into this tournament being the host country, and now they get to play the first game of the tournament. They are currently the 26th ranked team in the country, but they are big underdogs in this game. There is pressure on New Zealand because they are the host country, but there aren’t a whole lot of expectations with this team. Last Friday New Zealand faced off against Italy and they were defeated 1-0. Two games ago against Vietnam, New Zealand was able to secure the 2-0 victory. In that game they scored two goals in the first half, and that was the difference. In this game it’s going to be important that the offense gets out to a first start, and they keep the crowd engaged in the game. 

Norway Betting Preview

Anything less than winning this group is going to be disappointing and they feel confident heading into this game that they can find success. Norway is currently ranked 12th in the World and they were dominant during the qualifying. During the qualifying games, they outscored their opponents 13-1. The last game for Norway came all the way back on April 11th and they played to a 3-3 draw in that game. It was a goal by Frida Maanum in the 96th minute that allowed them to play to a draw. The defense did struggle a bit in this game, and it’s going to need to be better. If the defense struggles in this game, it’s going to give New Zealand hope, and they don’t want that to happen. 

Shane’s Free Pick

This total is too high. The only real chance New Zealand has in this game is if they went a 1-0 type of game, and they are going to really focus on the defense here. It might not be enough to win, but they aren’t going to allow Norway to score more than one goal. Look for 1-0 or 1-1 type of game. Back the under to cash here.