USA Women vs Holland Women Predictions

They didn’t exactly dazzle and were somewhat fortunate, but USA once again proved tough to beat in tournament football, as they edged out England in the semi-finals. Having seemingly sent their biggest threat packing, Jill Ellis’ women will fancy themselves to retain the trophy that they won just four years ago.

As was the case against France, USA showed that they know how to win the big matches last time out. They got their goals early and then simply invited their opponents onto them before closing out the game. The attractiveness of their approach against both France and England can be questioned, though the effectiveness cannot.

Having seen USA stand firm against two very strong attacks, it’s not difficult to envisage them faring well against a Dutch forward-line that has never really got going at these finals. They have made the final, which is a great achievement, but it must be said that Sarina Wiegman-Glotzbach’s women have underwhelmed offensively. They went most of game against Japan without creating an opportunity, they certainly didn’t dazzle the crowd, with chance after chance against the Italian’s, while it took them until extra-time to deliver a moment of attacking quality against the Swedes last time out. Such efforts don’t bode well ahead of a side that is seemingly getting better and better at nullifying an opposing threat.

After they scaled the heights in terms of goals scored in the groups, USA were perhaps expected to continue running riot in the knockouts, though it has been both their defensive ability and game management that has caught the eye most. Going forward, with the likes of Rapinoe, Morgan and Heath in their ranks, USA will always make headway, while they certainly don’t lack end-product, but they’ve shown that they’ve got the ability to win games without creating an abundance of chances. Against France, USA created only 1.15 expected goals for, while they only created 1.03 against England, yet they never really looked like they were going to fail.

From a betting point of view, ‘USA to Win & Under 2.5 Goals’ catches the eye. In terms of overall quality, USA have more about them than the Dutch, while since they’ve shown that their primary focus is closing out games once getting their noses in front, it’s easy to feel that the chances of a low-key win for the holders are slightly greater than the current prices suggest.