Japan kick off their Women’s World Cup campaign on Saturday, as they take on Zambia at Waikato Stadium in Hamilton. The match will give us a first look at one of the previous winners of the competition, and we can assess whether they have the credentials for another deep run.
Women’s World Cup 2023 Preview
Japan has been one of the most consistent teams in women’s football since the mid 1990s, and they could be one of the leading contenders that have gone under the radar this year. The nation landed a memorable World Cup victory back in 2011, and went close once again in 2015, as they finished as runners-up. However, they will be looking to get back on track at the competition this year after falling in the round of 16 in France four years ago.
Japan has some questions to answer ahead of the start of the World Cup this year, as they have suffered three defeats from their six international matches in 2023. However, they were impressive in their final warm-up match on July 14, as they cruised to a 5-0 win over Panama.
Zambia will be making their Women’s World Cup debut in Australia and New Zealand this summer. They are one of eight teams that will be appearing in the competition for the first time, and they qualified for the World Cup after finishing third in the CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations last year.
However, history goes against them this weekend, as only one previous nation from the continent has landed a victory in their debut match at the World Cup. But, there could be confidence within the camp that they may be well placed to cause an upset this year after beating Germany 3-2 in their final warm-up match at the start of July.
Zambia vs Japan Head to Head
This will be the first time that Japan and Zambia have clashed in the women’s game. Zambia has only come up against AFC nations on three previous occasions, beating Uzbekistan, before losing back-to-back matches against Korea Republic.
Zambia vs Japan Prediction
This should be an entertaining match at the World Cup, as Zambia only know one way to play. The African nation will look to attack at every opportunity, and that could lead to a high-scoring affair. Therefore, we will be siding with Japan to win, but we could see both teams finding the net.
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