England vs Nigeria Bet Builder Tips: The England Train Isn’t Stopping

England vs Nigeria Bet Builder Tips: Nigeria’s unwanted task

England are up against a defiant Nigeria in the round of 16 of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, and we’ve got England vs Nigeria bet builder tips for you to ponder.
The Lionesses topped their group, with three wins in three, while Nigeria finished second in group B behind Australia. This will be the first meeting between the two sides at the World Cup since the two met in the group stages in 1995.

England vs Nigeria Lowdown:

Sarina Weigman reinvented the wheel in their final group-stage game against China. Dealing with the loss of metronome Keira Walsh to an injury, Weigman decided to tweak her system. England lined up in a 3-5-2 formation with Alessia Russo and Lauren Hemp as the front two.
The move away from her trusted 4-2-3-1 was surprising but worked wonders. It allowed the European champions to harness the offensive power of their squad. They scored six against Asian Cup winners, China, in the last group stage game.

A performance of the tournament to build on

It unleashed the potential of Chelsea’s Lauren James while retaining the defensive security with three centre-backs.

The 21-year-old, James, produced arguably the performance of the tournament with a brace and a hat-trick of assists. Her brace included two outrageous finishes, while her assists showcased her line-breaking vision. No player created more shots (3) than the Chelsea winger. She currently leads the goalscoring charts for the Lionesses at the World Cup with three goals.

This formation change brought out a different dimension of Hemp in attack. The Man City winger was able to play off the last line and latch onto the passes in behind. She recorded the most shots (3) in the game against China and also scored a goal from an identical situation. She played well in tandem with the movements of Russo in attack, who could now drop and link play.

With this change in formation, both England fullbacks have enjoyed offensive freedom. Weigman pushed the fullbacks aggressively, trying to overload the opposition’s last line.

Barcelona right-back Lucy Bronze has the licence to bomb forwards and be more involved in the penalty box. This has increased her attacking threat further. No England player has registered more penalty box touches (17) than the 31-year-old fullback. She is also a potent target on set pieces, generating the second most shots in the team (7).

Oshoala the main threat

Nigeria had to overcome co-hosts Australia, and Olympic gold medalists, Canada, in their group to reach the final 16. The African side showcased defensive rigour in their performances, yielding two 0-0 draws. They produced an upset against co-hosts, Australia, beating them 3-2 in the second round of the group stage.

Barcelona’s star striker, Asisat Oshoala, is the most recognizable threat up front for the Super Falcons. The 28-year-old has already scored in the competition, and no player has recorded more shots (7) than her for Nigeria. She will shoulder a lot of the attacking threat in this game.

Elsewhere, left-back Ashleigh Plumptre has been integral to the buildup phase for Randy Waldrum’s side. She recorded the most touches (175) for Nigeria at the competition. Uchenna Kanu and Toni Payne have been the chief creators in the side, with both players creating three shots each.

• England Win
• Over 2.5 Goals

Bet Builder odds: 2.10

World, Women’s World Cup, 7th August, 08:30 (UK)

Odds via bet365 as at 11:48, 4th August 2023. Odds may now differ.

England vs Nigeria Stats: James, Bronze and Hemp amongst the eye-catching stats and facts

• Lucy Bronze has recorded the most penalty box touches (17) for the Lionesses.
• Lauren James leads the chart for both goals scored (3) and assisted (3).
• The 21-year-old James scored twice and assisted three times against China
• Lauren Hemp recorded the most shots against China (3) following the system change by Weigman
• Chiamaka Nnadozie has saved a penalty against Canada at the World Cup

England vs Nigeria Bet Builder Tips: That England train isn’t stopping for anyone

England Win

England came out on 3-2 winners on the day in their previous encounter at the World Cup, expect this to be closely contested. England, having found their groove, come into this as slight favourites but don’t rule out Nigeria completely.

They’ll put up a valiant fight, but this England side has too much to cope with.

Over 2.5 Goals

One of the major reasons for Nigeria’s defensive solidity is their goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie. The 22-year-old has saved nine of the 12 shots she has faced so far. The Paris FC goalkeeper has been excellent, denying Christine Sinclair from the spot as well, keeping two clean sheets. She has conceded 1.3 goals less than expected, which is the fourth-best among all the goalkeepers remaining in the competition.

However, it’s difficult to see England not finding the net. And I wouldn’t be surprised to see that happen on more than one occasion. If the Lionesses do score, expect things to become a little more open, leading to multiple strikes despite Nnadozie’s class between the sticks.

At bettingexpert, we always take a responsible approach to gambling. We’ll never bet more than we can afford or chase losses. For more advice, head to our Responsible Gambling hub.