It hasn't always been easy for Canada in the Women's World Cup this year.
The Canadian women's team struggled to win an extremely easy Group A, and that definitely gives us pause for concern against Switzerland in the Round of 16 on Sunday.
ODDS ANALYSIS
The Canadians are favored in this match, but they certainly aren't by any convincing margin. The -125 is truly more of an indication of how important home field advantage is than anything else. Otherwise, we would expect this match to be a lot closer to a pick 'em.
As it is, the Swiss can be found at +0.5 ( +105 ) on the Asian Handicap, and we suspect that many sharps will be on that side of the spread.
The total is somewhat low at 2 ( over -145 ), though it isn't as low as many probably expected to see.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"Top of the group – that's a job well done. We wanted to finish first so that we could return to BC Place. But we know that we need to work on a few things, because the games that are coming up will be even harder." – Canada manager John Herdman following a 1-1 draw against the Netherlands to end Group A play
RECENT FORM
At the last Women's World Cup, Canada really struggled and ended up without a single point. Here on their home turf, the argument could be made that they are fortunate to have any points, let alone five. The Canadians needed the full 90 minutes against lowly China to score the decisive goal, while following that, they didn't score in a 0-0 draw against New Zealand. Even when they looked to have the last match in hand against the Dutch, they allowed a goal three minutes from time to settle for yet another draw in a match which easily could have been different.
Switzerland might have netted 11 goals in its first three matches, but don't let that fool you. Scoring 10 against Ecuador wasn't nearly as impressive as it looked, and aside from that, the team was beaten in two matches by an aggregate score of 3-1.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
The only reason Switzerland made it this far in the tournament is because of that goal differential thanks to being placed in a group with arguably the worst team in the tournament in Ecuador. Getting beaten in those other matches against Japan and Cameroon wasn't a high point whatsoever.
However, we know that the Swiss can play. Lara Dickenmann and Ramona Bachmann make a dangerous combination in attack, while Nicole Remund leads a young, yet very talented back line.
If the Swiss can hold their line in this one, we think they can really make the hosts sweat.
Canada's attack behind Christine Sinclair and Melissa Tancredi just hasn't been good at all in this tournament, and those long periods of time without legitimate shots on target could end up seeing this team into some danger.
We do believe that Canada is going to find a way to get through this draw, if for no other reason the fact that it is a deeper team which has been here and done this time and time again versus very good teams, but it isn't going to be easy. Don't be stunned if this one is scoreless through 90 minutes.
Canada 1, Switzerland 0 ( AET )
BookMaker has Women's World Cup lines for every match of the season. Canada is lined as a -125 moneyline favorite, while the total is set at 2 ( over -145 ). You can make a futures bet and predict the champion, wager on head-to-head matchups or use BookMaker’s live betting feature to gamble while the match is happening.
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook! The fixture between Canada and Switzerland is scheduled for Sunday, June 21, 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.
