The Canadians have the home field advantage and what should be a raucous crowd in Vancouver on Saturday night against England, but the Three Lionesses played their best game of the tournament yet against Norway in the Round of 16 and will be no pushover for the hosts of the Women's World Cup.
ODDS ANALYSIS
Despite being expected to be one of the best teams in the 2015 Women's World Cup, Canada have not looked dominant, only putting the ball in the back of the net three times in four games which is a large part why we have one of the lowest totals of the tournament at 2 ( under -135 ).
The Canadians are still expected to advance but mostly through the benefit of the home crowd and are lined at +140 to advance in regulation while the price on the English ladies to get to the semifinals is PK ( +137 ) on the Asian Handicap line.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"As hosts we’re obviously under a lot of pressure. I’m proud of my team and what we’ve achieved; they’re warriors who know what needs to be done and give it everything they’ve got. The fans were unbelievable again; it was just surreal." - John Herdman, Canada coach
RECENT FORM
As mentioned above, Canada has had trouble scoring through four games of the Women's World Cup, but their defense has been sensational, allowing only one goal through four matches, and that was late in the game in a match that meant little too the Canadians but the world to the Dutch who desperately needed to salvage a draw. Canada held on late to survive against Switzerland in the Round of 16 but if they don't produce more offense they could get bounced.
England have done everything they've needed to do in order to make it to this stage. After an expected loss to France in their first match, the English have won three straight matches by the score of 2-1. Their win against Norway in the Round of 16 was particularly impressive as the Three Lionesses displayed their resiliency after being outplayed for the first 55 minutes of the match. The English ladies bounced back though and a golazo from Lucy Bronze late in the match put them into the Quarterfinals.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
Superstar Christine Sinclair has only scored once in this tournament for Canada and that was off of a penalty kick late against China. She is the main catalyst for this team with 154 goals in 223 career matches and for a team that has been lacking in offense she will need to bring her A game.
The English have been considered a second tier team in the realm of women's soccer from the start, never making it past the Quarterfinals at the Women's World Cup. In international play this year, while the women have struggled with the cream of women's soccer in losses to Germany, France, and the United States, England have notched victories over Australia, China, and even Canada and this may be the best English team we've seen.
These two teams matched up in a friendly just a week before the start of the Women's World Cup with Canada pulling out a 1-0 victory, but the pressure of a Women's World Cup on their home soil seems that it may be too much for the Canadians to handle. We're going to call for the upset here and say England gets it done in penalties after a boring 120 minutes.
The winner of this match will play the winner of Australia-Japan.
England 0 ( 4 ), Canada 0 ( 2 ) ( England wins on penalties )
The women's World Cup lines for this contest were first released by BookMaker Sportsbook with Canada lined at +140 on the moneyline and a total of 2 ( under -135 ). Since this game can be seen by anyone with a TV, BookMaker will have a multitude of wagering options available for it. Outside of the normal lines, you can gamble on real-time moneylines, spreads and totals. Live betting is open during every step of this match!
Need to fund your account before the big game but don’t have your computer? No problem! BookMaker Sportsbook now offers a mobile betting cashier so you can deposit money directly from your smartphone. Don’t miss out on getting paid because you couldn’t bet. Click here and deposit at BookMaker now! The fixture between Canada and England is scheduled for Saturday, June 27, 2015 at 7:30 p.m. ET at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The match will be televised live on FOX Sports 1.
