After winning their first-ever game at the Olympics on Thursday, reigning Women’s World Cup winners Spain return to action on Sunday against Nigeria as they eye a spot in the knockouts. A win could guarantee a spot in the knockout rounds and would most certainly bolster their case as the favorites to win the gold. It is worth remembering, though, that Spain were placed in the uber-competitive Group C alongside fellow World Cup winners Japan and heavyweight Brazil — though a 2-1 win over Japan means they enter this match atop the group, Nigeria will be no slouch after limiting Brazil to a 1-0 result on Thursday.
Here’s what you need to know before tuning in.
How to watch and odds
- Date: Sunday, July 28 | Time: 1 p.m. ET
- Location: Stade de la Beaujoire — Nantes, France
- Live stream: Peacock
- Odds: Spain -1000; Draw +750; Nigeria +2300
Projected lineups
Spain: Cata Coll, Ona Batlle, Irene Paredes, Laia Alexandria, Olga Carmona, Patricia Guijarro, Aitana Bonmati, Alexia Putellas, Athenea del Castillo, Salma Parallelo, Mariona Caldentey
Nigeria: Chiamaka Nnadozie, Michelle Alozie, Oluwatosin Demehin, Osinachi Ohale, Chidinma Okeke, Deborah Abiodun, Christy Ucheibe, Toni Payne, Jennifer Echegini, Rasheedat Ajibade, Chinwendu Ihezuo
Storylines
Spain: A year after their big win in Sydney, Spain have barely slowed down since as they aim to become the first team to win the World Cup and the Olympics in consecutive years. The margin of victory may have been tight in their 2-1 win over Japan on Thursday, but Spain did what they do well — dominate possession and register a ton of shots. On Thursday, they had 75% of the ball and outshot the opposition 14 to seven, putting half of their shots on target. Look for them to execute the same game plan against Nigeria — and against everyone else in the competition as long as they stay in the hunt for the gold, for that matter.
Nigeria: The Super Falcons are still in the race to advance out of the Olympics group stage for the first time in their history, but there are pluses and minuses to take from their 1-0 loss to Brazil on Thursday. They edged out the opposition on possession with 52% of the ball, but took just six shots while Brazil took 13. Their less-than-ideal attacking performance is a reflection of the fact that Asisat Oshoala, Nigeria’s star forward with 37 international goals, did not play on Thursday. She appears to be nursing an injury and though she made the trip to France, her fitness will loom large as long as Nigeria are in the tournament.
Prediction
Spain are the favorites for the gold medal for a reason, so even if Nigeria are able to challenge them as they did Brazil, La Roja are good enough to escape from most tests. Expect them to pick up another win and inch closer to the knockout stages of the Olympics for the first time ever. Pick: Spain 2, Nigeria 0
