Stadium: Kashima Soccer Stadium (Kashima)
On the opening day of the Olympics, New Zealand team played a sensational match against South Korea who lost 1-0. Can the whites beat Honduras as well this time? Our prediction: Danny Hay's team will be closer to victory again!
New Zealand current form
The New Zealand team was probably the luckiest team in the first round of the Olympic football tournament. Firstly, they were lucky enough to play in the only Stadium where fans were allowed - the Kashima Stadium, even though they were rooting for South Korea. Secondly, in that very match, the New Zealanders lost to the South Koreans in possession of the ball - 37% to 63%, in shots - 2-12, but that did not stop them from winning the match with a score of 1-0, thanks to a very questionable goal by Chris Wood. Now the Whites have a real chance to get out of the group, so they'll give it their best in the remaining two games of the group.
Honduras current form
You can sneer at the fact that the New Zealand team beat South Korea, hitting only one shot on goal, the Romanian against Honduras went even further and managed to win without a single shot in the opponent's goal. At least that's what the statistics say. The thing is that the only goal of the game was scored by Alvin Olivia inside his own net after a Romanian corner kick. Honduras itself took 17 shots, five of which were accurate, but each time goalkeeper Mihai Ioani saved the Romanian national team.
Expert betting tips
Group B in the Olympic soccer tournament is easy, where any team can reach the quarterfinals. The level of each team here is so low that all matches here will not be so interesting. It is important to note that in the first round of New Zealand fiercely defended and won, taking advantage of its rare chance, but Honduras, though they owned the initiative, could not convert it into goals. And now the execution of goals should be the key factor, so we should bet on the victory of New Zealand with a handicap (+1.5) at about 1.132 odds.
Of course, we should not expect a lot of goals in the upcoming battle. As we have already noted, in Group B absolutely any team can reach the quarterfinals, so the level of intrigue in each match will be prohibitive. That's why all teams will try to act as solidly as possible, so as not to make any key mistake, which will put an end to all the efforts. Moreover, Honduras and New Zealand in their games of the first round played with the same score - 1-0, so the best option for the forecast looks like a total under (2.5) goals at odds close to 1.95.
Despite a very tight schedule, the teams had only two days off between the two initial matches, In the opening game, the teams should still have enough strength to reliably defend and avoid mistakes. It is no secret that mistakes lead to goals scored, so in the first third of the meeting between New Zealand and Honduras should not expect a productive game. The opponents will calmly defend, and the attack will not be able to open the defensive structures until they get tired. On this basis, it is worth looking at the bet that the first goal in the match will take place after the 32nd minute with odds of about 2.10.
Other predictions
