Spain vs Zambia Odds
| Spain Odds | -6600 |
| Zambia Odds | +4000 |
| Draw | +2200 |
| Over/Under | 4.5 (-150 / +110) |
| Both Teams to Score (Yes/No) | (+225 / -300) |
| Odds via bet365. Get up-to-the-minute World Cup odds here. | |
Spain can clinch a spot in the round of 16 at the Women's World Cup with a win over Zambia, while their foes will likely need to avoid a defeat if they want to cling on to any hope of making it out of the group stage.
This will be the first-ever meeting between these two nations, and it's Zambia's second-ever Women's World Cup match. Spain have made the quarterfinals of the previous three tournaments.
Unsurprisingly, Zambia, as the 77th ranked team in the world, are the big underdogs in this one. It'll be hard to find longer odds that +4000 for a moneyline match win at this tournament.
Spain Have Good Underlying Numbers
Spain came flying out of the blocks in their Group C opener against Costa Rica by scoring three goals in the opening 24 minutes. It could have been four had Jenni Hermoso not missed a penalty kick. But the Europeans then stalled.
In the opening round of matches at the Women's World Cup, no team took more shots (46) than Spain. Despite only playing 63 minutes against Costa Rica, forward Esther Gonzalez also leads all players in xG for the tournament so far with 1.71.
It's fair to say that Spain were profligate in their opening match. The passes were suitably cutting and the movement was good, but they missed chances they should have taken. Their finishing left a lot to be desired.
If we don't see any rotation, then Gonzalez and Hermoso will be well placed to get back on the scoresheet against Zambia. Keep an eye on midfielder Aitana Bonmati too, who also scored against Los Ticos. The FC Barcelona player is a potential tournament MVP winner.
Zambia Fail to Take Any Positives From Opening Match
After a surprise 3-2 friendly win over Germany a week before the World Cup started, many people were getting excited about the prospect of Zambia as a tournament dark horse. The matchup with Japan looked favorable for them, with a possession-first team going against a more transitional counter-attacking one.
But it wasn't to be. Zambia were thrashed 5-0 by Japan and lost their second-string goalkeeper Catherine Musonda to a red card. Prior to the start of the tournament first-string keeper Hazel Nali suffered a knee injury. That means Eunice Sakala is the starter for the Spain match.
The most shocking aspect of that defeat wasn't the scoreline but instead the fact Zambia didn't register a single attempt (on or off target) the entire match. They were one of just two nations to do that in the opening round of matches, along with Vietnam.
Experts expected better of Zambia because of attackers like Barbra Banda and Racheal Kundananji. The duo were woefully withdrawn against Japan and hopefully that changes against Spain.
Spain vs Zambia Pick
With Zambia down to their third choice goalkeeper and already looking quite demoralized, backing Spain to rack up a high score looks like the way to go.
Keep an eye on the starting XI in case coach Jorge Vilda rotates his starters, but Gonzalez and Bonmati getting on the scoresheet should also be considered.
The Pick: Spain -5 (+187 via bet365)
