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Paraguay vs CanWNT Predictions: Both Teams Are on a High

CanWNT Midfielder Jessie Fleming Will Be A Key Player in the Paraguay vs CanWNT Game

PREVIEW – The Paraguay vs CanWNT game will be the second for both teams in the Concacaf W Gold Cup. Canada dominated El Salvador by a scoreline of 6-0 while Paraguay got an important 1-0 win over Costa Rica.

Paraguay vs CanWNT Predictions on Sunday

CanWNT (4-0-1)

Truth be told, the win against El Salvador was to be expected. Ranked 104 in the world, this at least on paper, was the easiest game of the tournament for them.

Still, Canada had to play and perform, and they did just that. Adriana Leon and Cloé Lacasse continued their solid forms from last year while Olivia Smith was able to score her first-ever goal for the national team. This is what their head coach, Beverly Priestman, said about the win, and specifically, Lacasse and Smith (source: Tom Nightingale of Canadian Soccer Daily):

“I’m really happy to get five different scorers, Olivia Smith’s first goal, two wingbacks who have stepped in in a time of need and both of them scored and did what they needed to do for the team. I really liked what I saw from Lacasse as a right wingback but also from Smith. When we play compact teams, it’s always interesting to use wingers as wingbacks.”

With the win, since the disappointing 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, Canada has now won six of their last seven games. The only loss from that time period was a narrow 1-0 loss against Brazil on October 28, 2023.

Paraguay (3-1-1)

READ MORE: CanWNT Gets Ready to Play in Inaugural Concacaf W Gold Cup

The Costa Rica-Paraguay match-up was interesting. This is because Costa Rica is currently ranked higher in the FIFA rankings than Paraguay. However, as mentioned in the CanWNT Concacaf W Gold Cup preview article, Paraguay has more players playing professionally.

In this game, even though Paraguay won by only one goal, they outshot the Costa Ricans as Paraguay had six shots on goal and Costa Rica only had one shot on goal. Lice Chamorro was the one who scored the game-winning goal from a set-piece. This was the case even though Costa Rica played very well in the first half.

This is what Paraguay head coach, Carlos Bona, said about the game (source: euro.ESEuro):

“We started the game with a 3-5-2,” said the coach of Paraguay, Carlos Bona, in reference to the tactical stop. “But Costa Rica They had a big advantage in the half court because they played a very good game in the first half. I tried to correct the problem. I put a lead a little lower and then we started to play better.” “But our attack was not working,” he added. “In the second half I took a center back and placed a forward. There we managed to score the goal that gave us the victory.”

Players to Watch

Chamorro, who plays for Deportivo Alavés Gloriosas in Spain, is a player to watch as she just scored her third goal for the national team. She played very well against Costa Rica and won Player of the Match for her efforts. This is what Ralph Hannah of the Paraguay Football Blog said about Chamorro:

“Lice Chamorro was a constant thorn in the opposition’s side whether it was playing back to goal or advancing the ball with her running. The goal was the icing on the cake.”

Another player to watch out for is Jessica Martinez, who plays for Las Planas in Spain. Martinez is a very dangerous player with 19 goals in only 23 games.

READ MORE: The CanWNT Concacaf W Gold Cup Roster Revealed

Canada also have fantastic players of their own. Lacasse has the ability to create scoring chances not just for herself, but for others as well and Leon has the ability to get to the right place a the right time for Canada. Leon will be a player that Paraguay will need to keep an eye on at all times. There is then of course, Jessie Fleming, the captain of the national team, and an instrumental midfielder for the team.

Other News and Predictions

As for Nichelle Prince, unfortunate news for her, as she will be unable to compete for the rest of the competition. It is also unfortunate for the CanWNT, who depends on her speed and ability to create scoring opportunities for her teammates.

PREDICTIONS: Paraguay 1 – CanWNT 3

READ MORE: Cloé Lacasse Shines in a Dominant 6-0 Win For the CanWNT

This will be the first-ever meeting between the two national teams. While Paraguay has a bright future, it may not be the time right now for them to make the next step. Canada still has on paper, players that will give Paraguay a lot of trouble and are playing very well since the disappointing 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup campaign.

The game kicks off at 8:00 PM ET on Sunday in Houston at Shell Energy Stadium. Fans can watch the game live on OneSoccer as well as Telus and FuboTV Inc.

 

Photo Credit: Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports, of a Jessie Fleming Headshot, on February 22, 2024.

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