England Women v Haiti Women Tips

Sarina Wiegman’s European Championships heroes are among the favourites to become champions of the world this summer, and their bid for glory begins on Saturday in Australia.

The Lionesses’ final preparation games for the tournament didn’t go exactly to plan as they drew 0-0 with Portugal and lost to the hosts, the Matildas, before jetting out to Oceania. However, prior to that they were on a 30-game unbeaten run that helped them clinch the Euros last summer.

Recent results shouldn’t start any alarm bells ringing for Wiegman and her troops, but it is vital that they hit the ground running on Saturday when they face off against the lowest-ranked team in the competition: Haiti.

A gulf between them

Almost 50 ranking places separate England from Haiti and, while the former are taking part in the global tournament for the fifth time, it is a debut appearance for Les Grenadières. They will be out to try to cause an upset as they make their bow.

The odds are stacked against Nicolas Delépine’s outfit, though, as they are priced at 100 to come away victorious from Lang Park in Brisbane. England, meanwhile, boasts strong favouritism at 1.02.

Haiti have won just one of six games since they qualified for the tournament, and they will know that they require a fair chunk of luck to get anything out of their opening fixture. Such is the perceived gulf that over 5.5 goals is available at just 1.36.

Ones to watch

England has one of the best teams in the women’s game. Last summer proved that, and given the talent in their side it is not difficult to see why.

Rachel Daly has put herself in pole position to start up top after a record-equalling 22 goals in the Women’s Super League last season, but Alessia Russo is waiting in the wings to take over if required. They have one of the most exciting wingers in the world in Lauren James, and their defence is full of experience with Millie Bright, Lucy Bronze and Alex Greenwood in the squad.

As one of the poorest nations in the world, Haiti’s journey to the finals was remarkable. They have some quality thanks to Kethna Louis and Roselord Borgella, and they can also lean on Melchie Dumornay, a recent signing for powerhouse French club Lyon.

Talented 19-year-old Dumornay racked up 17 goals and assists for Stade de Reims before joining Lyon, and the attacker will know that she can cause problems for anybody. Expect her to be marked closely.

England’s CONCACAF woes

The Lionesses have won just one of their last eight games against CONCACAF nations in all competitions, but they brought their hoodoo to an end when they beat the USA back in October. Don’t lean too heavily on that trend here.