Netherlands battles Portugal in each nation’s opening match of the Women’s World Cup Sunday in Dunedin, New Zealand. Kickoff for this Group E contest from Forsyth Barr Stadium — also known as Dunedin Stadium — is set for 3:30 a.m. ET (FS1). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Netherlands vs. Portugal odds, and make our best Women’s World Cup bets, picks and predictions.
Group E, which includes the U.S., is loaded. The USNWT ranks 1st in the FIFA rankings, Netherlands is No. 9, Portugal is 21st and Vietnam is 32.
Netherlands qualified for the World Cup by winning Group C in UEFA. The Dutch are 3-2 this season, most recently shutting out Belgium 5-0 July 2. Netherlands has 4 players with 100+ caps and is led in the attack by F Lieke Martens, who has 145 caps and 59 goals.
Portugal claimed its 1st World Cup berth by winning Inter-confederation playoffs Group A. Portugal is 3-2-2 (W-L-D) in 2023. It lost to Norway 2-1 in an unofficial match April 16, Portugal’s last time on the pitch. It has an experienced squad with 6 players posting 100 or more caps, led by F Carolina Mendes, who has 113 caps and 23 goals.
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Netherlands vs. Portugal odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Saturday at 1:43 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline: Netherlands -210 (bet $210 to win $100) | Portugal +500 (bet $100 to win $500) | Draw +333
- Over/Under: 2.5 (O: -145 | U: +105)
Netherlands vs. Portugal picks and predictions
Prediction
Netherlands 2, Portugal 1
Moneyline (ML)
PASS.
Netherlands is a strong favorite for a reason. It is younger and has proven more this year. Portugal lost to Japan and Norway in its last 5 games. It also only beat Cameroon 2-1 to win the WWC qualification.
Netherlands is more balanced and has won its last 2 games a combined 9-1, a 5-0 win vs. Belgium and 4-1 victory vs. Poland. The Dutch also beat 5th-ranked Iceland 1-0. Netherlands is justified as a -210 favorite, but that is too steep of a price to pay.
Netherlands has scored in 2 straight matches, 4 of 5 this year and 6 of its last 7. Portugal has an experienced attack as well, scoring in 6 of 7 matches this year and in all 6 matches in 2022.
Both attacks should produce opportunities. BET BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE (-120).
Over/Under (O/U)
BET OVER 2.5 (-145).
Portugal has gone Over this total in 4 of 7 games in 2022. Netherlands has gone Over in 3 of its last 4 games, and has scored at least 4 goals in 3 of its last 4 as well.
Netherlands has 3 players which have at least 30 international goals. The depth in the attack is there, and the Portuguese have proven themselves to be a potent offense over the last few years as well.
Take OVER 2.5 (-145) despite the juice.
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