Germany will be aiming for a third Women's World Cup victory this summer. At 11/2 (6.50) with bet365 the reigning Olympic champions are serious contenders, sitting behind only holders USA (7/2) and hosts France (7/2) in the outright betting.
China, by contrast, face a tough task to progress from a group that also includes Spain and South Africa. They did make it to the quarter finals in the 2015 edition, though.
Latest Odds
Unsurprisingly, Germany are firm favourites to kick-off their campaign with a victory. bet365 are 2/7 (1.29) about Martina Voss-Tecklenburg's side picking up three points.
It's 17/2 (9.50) about a shock victory for the underdogs while the draw is an industry-best price of 9/2 (5.50) at the time of writing.
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Team News
Dzsenifer Marozsan will be expected to star in France after helping Lyon to yet another Champions League victory. The 27-year-old struck 10 times in just 15 league games in the 2018-19 campaign.
Peng Shimeng looks set to start in goal for Jia Xiuquan's side. The 21-year-old was named goalkeeper of the year in China after an impressive campaign with Jiangsu Suning.
Preview
Voss-Tecklenburg only took up her current role in November and has had limited time to prepare her players for this tournament. However, the 50-year-old coach has already overseen wins over Sweden, Chile and most notably, France.
Much of that success has been built on a solid defensive foundation, with three clean sheets in her five-match spell in charge.
While China have lost three of their last four outings in normal time, the quality of opposition has been high-grade for the most part. They've been far from outclassed and may be able to make things difficult for Germany, especially in the opening exchanges.
Predictions
Given this is their toughest group stage assignment, it would be no surprise to see China take a pragmatic approach.
The 24-team configuration of this World Cup means there is a chance to qualify for the knockout stages in third place so Xiuquan may opt not to risk too much against a team well-fancied to make a deep run in the competition.
With that in mind backing under 2.5 goals looks the best option for punters at 43/40 (2.08). Germany should enough to secure an opening victory in Rennes but it's unlikely to be a rout against a stubborn Chinese team.
Odds correct at the time of publish. Please gamble responsibly.
Under 2.5 goals at 43/40 (2.08) for a 1pt stake with bet365
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