The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup gets underway on Thursday. At Auckland’s Eden Park, host nation New Zealand will take on Norway in the tournament’s opening match.
New Zealand are hosting the event alongside Australia, meaning they did not have to qualify for the tournament. Meanwhile, Norway finished atop their qualification group.
With the Philippines and Switzerland featuring alongside New Zealand and Norway in Group A, Thursday’s clash will set the tone for the group.
New Zealand head into the tournament on the back of 18 friendly matches, with their last competitive game coming at the SheBelieves Cup in February 2022.
Following a 1-0 defeat to Italy earlier this month, the Kiwis have lost seven of their previous nine encounters.
When you look at the bigger picture, New Zealand have only managed to win one of their last 12 matches, recording two draws and nine losses in the process.
Given that New Zealand have failed to win any of their 15 previous World Cup matches – recording three draws and 12 losses – they look set to struggle once again.
By contrast, Norway have enjoyed plenty of World Cup success over the years. In fact, the Norwegians lifted the trophy back in 1995.
After finishing as runners-up in 1991, Norway finished fourth in 1999 and 2007 before reaching the quarter-finals of the previous tournament four years ago.
Following a 3-3 draw with Spain earlier this month, Norway head into the tournament on a four-game winless run across all competitions.
It is also worth noting that Norway have managed to win only one of their last seven encounters, recording three draws and three losses.
Head-to-head: In June 2022, Norway claimed a 2-0 friendly victory over New Zealand, building on a 2-1 win that came at the Algarve Cup in 2020.
In total, New Zealand and Norway have faced each other eight times over the years. The Kiwis have claimed a solitary victory, while the Norwegian have won six times.
Team news: New Zealand’s Ria Percival is set to make her 164th international appearance on Thursday, while captain Ali Riley had 154 caps to her name.
Norway’s squad is littered with big-name players, including Barcelona’s Caroline Graham Hansen, Lyon’s Ada Hegerberg, Chelsea’s Maren Mjelde and Arsenal’s Frida Maanum.
Although New Zealand will be backed by the home crowd on Thursday, Norway should have more than enough quality to claim all three points.
Forebet predicts that Norway will keep a clean sheet on their way to securing a low-scoring victory over the co-hosts.