Women's World Cup Betting: Wednesday Should Give Us 2 Lopsided Affairs and 2 Close Contests

We've seen every team play at the World Cup, and we've already had some surprising results. There have been some upsets and some matches that have been much closer than expected.

Here's what we're looking at for Wednesday, with the World Cup odds provided by FanDuel Sportsbook:

Japan vs. Costa Rica

Japan got the start to the tournament that they wanted, notching a 5-0 victory over Zambia. The sequence of games works out nicely for them, as they should be able to qualify before facing Spain in their last group match.

The 5-0 scoreline was in no way undeserved for the Japanese. They created a whopping 6.5 expected goals (xG), according to FBRef. That was the most of any team for the first set of games.

Hinata Miyazawa scored two goals in that match, but this isn't a trend that we should expect to continue. She only has four goals in her previous two club seasons and six in 24 games for Japan.

The player we can look at to score in this match is Mina Tanaka. She also bagged a goal in the first match, playing as a lone striker.

Costa Rica was expected to get pummeled in their first match against Spain, and that's basically what happened. They can perhaps take solace in the fact that Spain scored all three of their goals in a 10-minute period. The bad news was that Costa Rica allowed 4.7 xG total in the match, tied for the second-most in the tournament.

The loss puts Costa Rica's record at one win, two draws, and seven losses for 2023. It seems unlikely that they will be able to get anything out of this match against a team like Japan.

If we don't want to lay a huge price on Japan, we can look at some alternative bets. Tanaka to score first is +280, which is a nice numbers for Japan's main goal threat. Based on the expected goals of each team's previous match, we can expect Japan to net a few. That also makes the match's over 3.5 goals (+124) an interesting wager.

Spain vs Zambia

The other two teams in Group C face off later on in the evening, and this one is even more lopsided.

Spain came into the tournament ranked sixth in the world, according to FIFA. Zambia was ranked 77th, the lowest for any team to qualify for the World Cup.

The match against Costa Rica was completely one-sided in Spain's favor. They had 80% of the possession and a stunning 45 shots. The final score was only 3-0, but a missed penalty and other chances not taken could have easily seen the game be a complete blowout.

Esther Gonzalez played just 62 minutes as the game was in hand but scored a goal and had nine shots. She was among the favorites to win the Golden Boot heading into the tournament, and she'll have a decent chance to rack up goals in this game and make a run at that award.

Zambia will obviously be disappointed about their opening match, a 5-0 loss in which they didn't record a shot. They will also be without starting goalkeeper Catherine Musonda for this game as she was sent off at the end of that match.

They could not get Barbra Banda involved in the last game, and it will be tough again for Banda if Spain control possession. She has an outstanding goalscoring record for her country, but they are likely too overmatched for her to score in this match.

Gonzalez is one of the best strikers in the tournament and will have plenty of chances to score in this match. Betting her to score a hat trick at +400 is a wager that could hit.

Canada vs Republic of Ireland

Canada and the Republic of Ireland were not able to win their opening matches, making this a big match for both if they want to qualify for the knockout stage.

Canada will be hugely disappointed that they weren't able to beat Nigeria. They turned 64% of the possession into only 1.4 xG, and the deciding factor of the match was a missed penalty by Christine Sinclair.

If Sinclair is able to score in this tournament, she will become the first person to score at six different World Cups. She is listed as the most likely player to score for Canada, but that penalty was the only shot she had in the previous match. You can get better odds on Jordyn Huitema -- currently +285 -- to score at any time, and she had five shot attempts in the opening match.

Ireland was able to hold their own against hosts Australia in their first game. They limited Australia to scoring on just a penalty kick. The shots were just 12-9 in favor of the Aussies.

The Irish have experience in the midfield in Denise O'Sullivan and Ruesha Littlejohn, which should keep them competitive in this match. Where they are lacking a bit is upfront, as none of their forwards have great goal-scoring numbers at the international level. They could give a start to Abbie Larkin, as the 18-year-old has already played nine times for the national team.

Ireland's solidity and Canada's lack of cutting edge in the first match may lead to a low-scoring, close encounter. Under 2.5 goals is favored at -190, but you could also consider betting on this match to be a draw at +250.

USA vs Netherlands

In a rematch of the 2019 World Cup Final, the USA take on the Netherlands.

The US somewhat underwhelmed in their first match, beating Vietnam by just a 3-0 score when the Americans were expected to score even more. They created 4.7 xG -- not counting a penalty miss -- so they did miss some chances in that match.

The Netherlands squeaked by with a 1-0 win over Portugal. That leaves these teams sitting in the first two positions in the group, exactly where they were expected to be headed into the tournament. This match likely will decide who wins the group and potentially gets an easier match in the first knockout round.

For a complete preview of this game, check out our breakdown of the USA-Netherlands match.

The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.