England Women vs Argentina Women Predictions

Despite delivering something of an up and down performance, in which they were good in the first half and not so great in the second, England got the job done on match-day one, as they beat Scotland by two goals to one. After that positive result, the Lionesses will be hoping to hand an Argentinian side that frustrated Japan last time out their first defeat of the tournament.

There was lots to like about the way in which England started their opening game against Scotland; the Lionesses were intense, proactive with the ball, they created chances and ended the half having seen their dominance yield two goals. They weren’t as good in the second 45, though they stood firm after a slight wobble and managed to get the job done, which at the end of the day, is a huge part of tournament football.

In contrast, Argentina were on the back-foot for almost the entirety of their opening match against Japan, though as it turns out, they had very little to worry about. They did spend most of the game defending, though it was mainly a case of getting women behind the ball, while the Japanese failed to create clear-cut scoring opportunities. Given that many of their players ply their trade in Argentina, where the women’s league is not yet professional, Jose Borello’s women did well first time out, though we can’t ignore the fact that they created nothing going forward against what was essentially a poor Japan side. Their lack of creativity on match-day one does not bode well ahead of a game against an England side that is up there with the best when it comes to creating scoring opportunities.

The Argentines may have defended well against a weak Japanese forward-line, but keeping the likes of Nikita Parris, Fran Kirby and Ellen White quiet will be much, much tougher. If we look beyond the fact that Argentina shut out Japan and consider the fact that they recently conceded three against Australia, two against New Zealand and five against Korea Republic, not to mention four against Chile and three against Brazil at the Copa America Femenina just before the turn of the year, then it’s very easy to see the Lionesses running riot on Friday.

In the betting, ‘England -2 Handicap’ appears to be the standout option. Argentina carry little threat going forward, while they’ve got a habit of folding somewhat easily when put under the sort of pressure that the Lionesses can deliver. This is a big opportunity for Phil Neville’s women to really stamp their mark in France and they’re backed to do just that by running riot against a side that sits 34 places below them in the FIFA Rankings.