Thursday's women's Olympic predictions and free football tips: Matildas capable of making their mark

When to bet & how to watch

Germany Women vs Australia Women 
Live on BBC iPlayer and discovery+, 6pm Thursday

Canada Women vs New Zealand Women
Live on BBC iPlayer and discovery+, 4pm Thursday

Best bets

Both teams to score in Germany Women vs Australia Women
2pts 4-5 general

Evelyne Viens first goalscorer in Canada Women vs New Zealand Women
1pt each-way 4-1 bet365

Thursday's women's Olympic football predictions

All 12 teams in the women's Olympic football will be in action on Thursday and one of the most intriguing battles will be in Marseille where Germany take on Australia.

With favourites the USA also in a tough-looking Group B, victory for either side would give them a big boost and with both outfits having plenty to prove, the recipe is there for an attacking encounter.

The Germans need to show they can be a force in the tournament after a surprise group-stage exit at last year's World Cup and the Rio gold medallists should look to get on the front foot after gaining their Games opportunity by beating the Netherlands in the Nations League third-place game.

Australia, who lost the bronze-medal match to the Americans in Tokyo three years ago, would have loved to have had the services of Chelsea striker Sam Kerr but they should not be dismissed just because their star player is nursing a serious knee injury.

The Matildas were boosted by the news that Arsenal forward Caitlin Foord will be available after a thigh problem kept her out of a recent friendly defeat to Canada, and the World Cup semi-finalists can at least make their mark.

That 2-1 victory for the Canadians in Spain was one of a number of decent results the defending champions have had lately and they can prove a match for anyone on their day.

They demonstrated that by taking the USA to penalties in both the Gold Cup and the SheBelieves Cup and should have few problems in their Group A opener against New Zealand.

One player who could be in for a big tournament is striker Evelyne Viens, who has just finished an excellent first season in Italy where she helped Roma to the Serie A title.

Viens scored after coming on as a late substitute against Australia, but she is expected to lead the line and should be bursting with confidence after six goals in her final five league appearances of the campaign.

She looks a decent bet to get the ball rolling for the defending champions against the Football Ferns in Saint-Etienne.

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