Italy vs Argentina Odds, Pick | Women’s World Cup Preview

Italy vs Argentina Odds

Monday, July 24

2 a.m. ET

FS1

Italy and Argentina will battle it out early Monday morning in their opening Group G match of the Women's World Cup.

They are grouped up with Sweden, the third-ranked team in the world rankings, making this match all the more crucial, as it will likely be a battle for who can finish second in the group, along with South Africa.

Italy rank 16th. This is the first time they have ever qualified for consecutive World Cup appearances, breaking a 20-year tournament drought in 2019. Their last time on the world stage, they matched their best-ever performance by reaching the quarterfinals.

Meanwhile, Argentina are nine spots below their upcoming group rival, ranking 28th. This will be their fourth time in the competition, but they have failed to advance beyond group play.

Here is a breakdown of the Italy vs Argentina odds, and my pick for the 2023 Women's World Cup match.

Italy All in on Younger Generation

Despite finishing at the bottom of their group in the 2022 Euros, the Italians remain with the coach responsible for their top-eight finish in France four years ago, manager Milena Bertolini.

However, she is one of the few left from that 2019 run. Players like Aurora Galli, Sara Gama, Valentina Bergamaschi and Martina Piemonte all missed the cut to New Zealand and Australia as Berolini has shifted to the next generation of Italian players. Their roster's average age is 25.9.

While this younger generation will lack World Cup experience, they certainly will not lack any chemistry. Eight of their 23 players play for Juventus and seven for Roma, who are just months removed from earning their club's first Serie A league title.

Moreover, The Blues finished atop their qualifying group, winning nine of their ten matches and keeping nine clean sheets.

Argentina Still Seeking Key World Cup Milestone

Argentina strive to advance to the knockout phase of this competition for the first time in their nation's history. However, before doing so, they will first need to find a way to secure their first-ever Women's World Cup win.

They came close to fulfilling their winning starvation in 2019, drawing two of their three matches. The potential difference maker in this go-round than in previous World Cup showings is that Argentina have significant firepower in the attacking third. That's something they couldn't say about previous tournaments, as they have been shut out in 67% of their World Cup games.

With a fully healthy squad in New Zealand and Australia, Argentina's roster is highlighted by attacker Yamila Rodriguez and Estefanía Banini. Rodriguez led the team in scoring during the 2022 Copa América Femenina with six goals. Midfielder Banini became the first Argentinian woman to be named to FIFA Best World XI just a few years back.

Despite Argentina being a threat in the final third, it does not translate to the defensive side of the ball, especially against higher-level competition. The White and Sky Blues have conceded an average of 4.1 goals per World Cup match and recently fell 7-0 to Spain in a September 2022 exhibition.

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Italy vs Argentina Pick

Sweden are penciled into coming out on top of Group H, meaning the winner of Monday's match will nearly guarantee us the second-place finisher.

With a young, revamped Italy roster, there should be no carryover from their 2022 Euros performance. They have looked strong defensively all qualifying and should be able to maintain the Argentine side.

Meanwhile, with the likes of Manuela Giugliani and Valentina Giacinti in the mix, The Blues shouldn't lack any creativity up top. The two Roma teammates were tied in Serie A for most attacking sequence involvements with 155 apiece and should be able to dissect a weaker Argentina defense.

Italy are also great in opening World Cup matches, going unbeaten in their previous three. Compare that to Argentina, who are still looking for their first-ever World Cup win in addition to the other matchup disparities, and there seems to be value on the spread with Italy at a plus number.

The Pick: Italy -1 (+160)