Spain and Costa Rica meet this Friday for the first round of Group C of the Women’s World Cup. The match is scheduled for 4:30 am (Brasília time), at the Wellington Regional Stadium, in New Zealand. The match marks the debut of the Spanish and Costa Ricans in this edition of the tournament.
where to watch: The duel will be broadcast on the paid channel SportTVby streaming platforms Fifa+ e Globoplayin addition to the Cazé TVno YouTube.
Spain are favorites to win the match, but just like Norway, may be surprised by Costa Rica. Even so, the team arrives confident for the debut. This is because they have won their last five friendlies, the last victory being a resounding 9-0 thrashing against Vietnam, which is also playing in the Women’s World Cup.
The Spanish group is qualified, with Alexia Putellas, twice winner of the Ballon d’Or, and Aitana Bonmatí, who is coming off a great season with the Barcelona. However, despite the good results, Spain brings with it off-field baggage that could harm its trajectory in the tournament.
Due to some disagreements between certain players, coach Jorge Vilda and the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), Spain has some significant casualties for the World Cup that could make a difference in the squad, such as defender Mapi León, midfielder Patri Guijarro and midfielder Claudia Pina.
On the other hand, Costa Rica is only going to its second participation in a Women’s World Cup and, against the Spanish, will go in search of its first victory in the championship. The team, however, may miss the experienced Shirley Cruz, who was cut from the call-up list.
In addition to the absence of the midfielder, the phase of the Costa Ricans is not the best. Of the last nine matches played, they won only one, losing six and drawing two. The last friendly was against South Africa, in which the team suffered a 2-0 defeat.
In addition to Spain and Costa Rica, Zambia and Japan make up Group C of the Women’s World Cup.
More duels for the Women’s World Cup
nigeria vs canada
Nigeria and Canada play the second match in Group B of the World Cup, still in the first round. The ball will roll from 11:30 pm this Thursday, at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, in Australia.
where to watch: SportTV, Fifa+, Globoplay e Cazé TV broadcast the game.
In one of the most balanced clashes of this group stage, Nigeria and Canada are looking for the three points to equal the leader Australia. The duel will have the encounter of the two oldest players of this edition of the tournament: the Nigerian defender Onome Ebi and the Canadian attacker Christine Sinclair.
In the last five matches, Nigeria had four wins and only one defeat, arriving with confidence and also counting on the top scorer Oshoala, recovered from injury.
On the other hand, Canada comes from a bad sequence. There were four defeats and only one victory in the last five games. This only duel won by the Canadians was precisely against Brazilian Teampor 2 a 0, na She Believes Cup.
Philippines vs Switzerland
This Friday, Philippines and Switzerland duel for the second match of Group A of the tournament, at 02:00, at Dunedin Stadium, in New Zealand. It is the Philippines’ first World Cup, while the Swiss are only making their second appearance.
where to watch: The match will be broadcast on Fifa+ and for Cazé TV.
The Philippines won their last friendly before the tournament, beating Vietnam 2-1. The team has won four of its last five games and arrives confidently, despite not being one of the favorites in the group to qualify for the knockout stage.
Switzerland is not coming from a good sequence of results; the last time the team won a match was in October last year. Since then, there have been six games, five draws and one defeat. In addition, in Euro 2022, they ended up eliminated in the group stage.
Source: Gazetaesportiva
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