Australia vs Italy Women’s World Cup 2019 Betting Tip
The opening Women’s World Cup Group C encounter brings together Australia and Italy, with the duo hunting three points when they meet at the home of Valenciennes FC. With Brazil and Jamaica making up the numbers in the group, a win for either side would give them an excellent chance of qualifying for the Round of 16 in France.
Australia vs Italy
- Women’s World Cup
- Stade du Hainaut, Valenciennes
- Sunday 9th June
- 12:00 UK Time
Australia vs Italy Match Preview
Australia and Italy meet at the women’s World Cup this summer, with the Matilda’s being the favourites to claim an opening victory in Group C. However, with Italy having made significant progress over recent years under the guidance of Milena Bertolini, it could well be that the tie is closer than many expect on the opening Sunday of the competition. Australia are one of the outsiders for the 2019 Women’s World Cup, with their clash with the Azzurre potentially demonstrating just how far they can go in France.So, let’s take a closer look at the two teams, including their player availability and recent form, starting with Australia.
Australia Team News & Form
Australia has made the quarter-finals at the last three Women’s World Cups’, having been beaten by Japan in Canada four years ago. The Matilda’s qualified for their seventh consecutive World Cup after finishing as runner’s up at the 2018 AFC Women’s Asian Cup, with Head Coach Ante Milicic hoping to make a significant impression in France after announcing that he will step down after the 2020 Olympics. Australia come into the tournament off the back of a 5-3 friendly defeat at the hands of reigning World Cup winners the United States, however they demonstrated their significant potential against the stars and stripes.
Captain Sam Kerr could well be one of the stars of the tournament this summer, with the Chicago Red Stars striker having scored over 30 international goals during her career to date. The rest of the Australian squad is dominated by players based in both Australia and the US, with hugely experienced midfielder Elise Kellond-Knight still being the heartbeat of the team. Australia won all three of their 2019 FFA Cup of Nations encounters, including an impressive 4-1 success over South Korea.
Italy Team News & Form
Italy won seven of their eight qualifying matches in order to make it safely through to the Finals in France this summer, with the Azzurre conceding just four goals during their campaign. As a result, Italy will take part in the Women’s World Cup for the first time since back in 1999, when they failed to make it out of the group stage. Head Coach Bertolini also lead Italy to a good 2019 Cyprus Cup campaign, where they beat the likes of Hungary and Thailand, before coming unstuck against North Korea on penalties.
All but one of the Italian squad play their club football domestically, with Atletico Madrid defender Elena Linari being the exception. Juventus striker Cristiana Girelli is perhaps their standout player, with the 29-year-old having scored 27 goals from her 51 caps to date.
Australia vs Italy Head to Head
The two teams have met just once in the past, coming during the 2014 Cyprus Cup, when Australia ran out comfortably 5-2 winners. Whilst a similar scoreline in France would not come as a surprise, the fact that the duo have not met in over five years means that little can be read into the head-to-head record between Australia and Italy. As a result, factors such as form and player availability will have more of an impact upon the result in Group C.
Australia vs Italy Betting Odds and Predictions
Given their status as one of the outsiders for the Women’s World Cup this year and their attacking prowess, it comes as little surprise that it is Australia who are the favourites for victory when they take on Italy in their opening Group C clash. The Matilda’s can be backed for the three points at best odds of 4/7 with bookmaker William Hill, whilst those looking those looking to back a surprise success for European’s Italy can take advantage of an appealing price of 4/1 with Coral. Meanwhile, a draw is also worth considering, with this market coming with best odds of 3/1 at Betway ahead of kick-off.
Top Australia vs Italy Betting Tip
Having taken all of the relevant information and statistics into account, our top betting tip for the Women’s World Cup Group C clash between Australia and Italy is to bet on over 2.5 goals being scored during the match, a market which is available at odds of 7/10 with Ladbrokes.