USA W vs Vietnam W prediction: WORLD: World Cup Women betting tips on match 2023-07-21 01:00.
The USA will start their Women's World Cup (WWC) journey with the sole aim of securing an unprecedented third successive title. Recent form is certainly on their side with nine successive wins coming into the competition, including a sixth She Believes Cup along the way. However, there are concerns as to whether Vlatko Andonovski’s side can again produce their best, especially with such a youthful playing squad containing 14 World Cup debutants.
Andonovski has had to turn to so many debutants after being hit with a plethora of injuries in the build-up to the tournament. Mallory Swanson netted in six straight USA appearances before tearing her patella tendon during April’s friendly with Ireland, while fellow stars Catarina Macario, captain Becky Sauerbrunn and veteran midfielder Sam Mewis are also set to miss out. Yet, those nine successive wins being accompanied by seven clean sheets does suggest this fresh-faced group still have what it takes to still go all the way.
Vietnam are at the other end of the scale to their opponents and are making their tournament debut in a baptism of fire. However, they are a fast-developing national side, highlighted in part by the fact they’ve won four successive South East Asian Games, as they’re now afforded the chance to compete with the very best on the biggest stage.
That being said, their form coming into the tournament wouldn’t have boosted the confidence of Mai Duc Chung’s side, with Vietnam losing each of their last four matches, the latest of which was a humbling 9-0 defeat to Spain. It’s little wonder then that Chung has played down their ambitions coming into the competition and instead described it as an opportunity for his squad to “learn from the experience”.
Players to watch: All eyes will be on the USA’s Alex Morgan to see if she can replicate her stunning opening to the 2019 WWC when she scored five goals against Thailand to equal the tournament’s single-game goals record. Meanwhile, Nguyễn Thị Thanh Nhã scored Vietnam’s second in their 2-0 South East Asian Games final in May and also netted their most recent strike which came against Germany in June.
Hot streak: USA have scored at least two goals in all eight of their WWC opening matches (W6, D2).