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Women's football expert Perfecseun previews England's match against Japan

FIFA Women´s WorldCup 2007

Group A: Japan vs England

Someone asked me who will win this match and my reply simply was ´...depends on how many goals Germany beat Argentina by. ' The result of the opening game of this tournament will have a huge effect on this group and the approach of the other 2 teams to their opening match.

Germany just schooled Argentina in the art of women´s football by beating them 11 goals to nil. The Germans were supreme and raised their game to quell any doubts people might have about their age, which averages around 30 years. Even if it is a foregone conclusion that the Germans will win this group after that performance, there is still the matter of 2nd place and England will hope to snatch that with the amount of experience that runs through their team.

Japan is one of the few teams that have made the finals since its inception. Their best show was reaching the quarterfinals in 1995 and since then, they have not given good account of themselves. There is nothing particularly stunning about this Japanese team even though they are a product of a long term development program over the years. There is no depth in experience in the team and team play is what they will rely solely on to get them through.

England on the other hand knows this is a must win game. Argentina wont be much of an obstacle for either Japan or England and both teams know now that it is key to get 3 points in their opening match. Kelly Smith is no secret weapon for England. One of the best players in the women´s game, her presence alone upfront will unsettle the Japanese defence and the Arsenal´s striker can lead the England team to a comfortable win. The aim for Hope Powell at the moment is to get to the quarterfinals which is a feasible and realistic target.

Suggested Bet: Lay Japan to win the match @ 3.4 and small stakes Back over 3.5 goals @ 1.8