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Women’s World Cup 2023: South Africa vs Italy Prediction, Preview, Live Stream, Odds and Picks
After losing all three matches in the Group Stage of the 2019 edition with an 8-1 aggregate, South Africa has become a pleasant surprise in the Women’s World Cup 2023, now one victory away from qualifying for the Round of 16.
However, Italy is also one victory away from securing a spot in the knockout stages and comes in as the soccer betting favorite at -160.
South Africa: Not Afraid
South Africa lost its first match 2-1 to Sweden but won a lot of confidence as Sweden is one of the betting online favorites to win the title and won thanks to a goal in the 90th minute. Hildah Magaia scored the opener for South Africa, but the defense couldn’t hold. In the end, Sweden finished with six shots on goal, only two more than South Africa.
Most recently, South Africa collided with Argentina in what ended up being a rollercoaster of emotions. Despite losing possession with 39%, South Africa scored twice in 36 minutes. Unfortunately, the defense couldn’t resist again, and Argentina evened things up in five minutes during the second half.
“We had the game in our pocket but we gave away two easy goals. That’s something we’ll need to improve going into our next match. We need to keep 100 percent focus, whether we are leading or not, and show a very good mentality until the referee blows the final whistle. Today, we made life difficult for ourselves,” explained striker Thembi Kgatlana after the match.
South Africa is listed at +390 in the soccer lines to win straight up on Wednesday.
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Italy: Embarrassing Defeat
Unlike South Africa, Italy began the tournament on the right foot by defeating Argentina 1-0. Cristiana Girelli came off the bench to save the day thanks to a goal in the 87th minute. Italy only conceded one shot on target and won possession with 53%, which is why the defeat against Sweden was so embarrassing.
Italy was the betting online underdog at +425, but nobody expected them to lose 5-0. Things were even up to the 39th minute when Amanda Ilestedt scored the opener. Believe it or not, the first half finished 3-0.
Despite such a beating, Italy remains second in Group G, meaning even a draw could be enough to seal a ticket for the knockout stages. Italy is the soccer odds favorite for Wednesday’s match at a -160 price.
Before the loss to Sweden, Italy went five straight games without conceding more than one goal. All teams have bad days. They just need to shake it off and remember they are a well-balanced squad.
South Africa vs Italy Match Information
- Match: Wednesday, Aug. 2
- Time: 3 a.m. ET
- Location: Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington, New Zealand
- South Africa vs Italy Live Stream: fuboTV
South Africa vs Italy Betting Lines
South Africa vs Italy Picks and Prediction
Italy deserves to come in as the favorite in the Las Vegas soccer odds. Don’t forget they won Group G of the UEFA qualifiers with a 9-0-1 record, 40 goals for, and only two against. They faced teams such as Switzerland and Croatia, which are considered better than South Africa. Nevertheless, South Africa is highly motivated and have the advantage when it comes to physical condition. Therefore, I expect a back-and-forth battle that will end in a draw.
