Tomás Yelmini
Neither of the two teams were able to qualify the World Cup in Qatar, but the locals were on the verge of reaching soccer’s top event. New Zealand vs China is a good opportunity for both national teams to continue their run-in to improve their prospects for the 2026 World Cup.
Thus, this friendly match -the second of the two they will play in less than a week, after Thursday’s 0-0 draw- is important to know where each team stands at the beginning of the road to the tournament that in less than four years will be held in North America.
New Zealand has a solid record against China, having won half of the 14 meetings over the years; however, neither of the two teams have been able to beat their opponents since 1990. The last clash dates back to 2014, when they drew 1-1 in Asian territory.
Right away, at JefeBet we bring you the preview of this game, where you will find the available betting odds, predictions and probably lineups for this friendly match between New Zealand vs China.
Predictions, Odds, and Betting Preview for the New Zealand vs China International Friendly on March 25, 2023
- Where: Sky Stadium – Wellington, New Zealand
- When: Saturday, March 25, 2023, 1 AM E.T.
- Moneyline: New Zealand (-145) / Tie (+265) / China (+425)
- Asian Handicap: New Zealand (-0.5, -155), China (+0.5, +115)
- Over/Under (1.5): Over (-255) / Under (+190)
- Both teams score: Yes (+115) / No (-150)
Odds provided by DraftKings.
Betting on New Zealand
New Zealand has gone six games without a win, including five friendlies and the playoff match against Costa Rica, which left them out of the World Cup. Apart from the goalless draw against China last Wednesday, the last record of activity was a double-header in September, in which they lost both matches against Australia. To make matters worse, their last victory was in March 2022, against Tahiti, 5-0, in the Oceania qualifiers.
In those last six games, the most one alarming problem for the men in black is their lack of effectiveness. To do so, they have Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood, who has the responsibility of leading the team offensively.
Probable lineup (4-4-2): Oliver Sail; Nando Pijnaker, Winston Reid, Callan Elliot; Joe Bell, Clayton Lewis, Tim Payne, Dane Ingham, Matthew Garbett; Chris Wood, Alex Greive.
Betting on China
Despite counting on a league that moves more and more money every year and is committed to being competitive with stars from all over the world, China has a very poor performance at the national team level.
They have won just one of their last 10 matches, the most recent being a 1-0 win over Hong Kong in July 2022. Another negative statistic is that they have scored only one goal in the last four games.
Its star player is veteran striker Wu Lei, who has played several seasons with Espanyol de Barcelona. However, the lack of hierarchy is key, as all their players play in the Chinese Super League.
Probable lineup (4-5-1): Yan Junling; Zhang Linpeng, Feng Xiaoting, Yang Fangzhi and Wang Shenchao; Hao Junmin, Wu Xi, Chi Zhongguo, Jin Jingdao and Zhang Xizhe; Wu Lei.
JefeBet Prediction
New Zealand has a good opportunity to regain its confidence and get back to winning ways against a Chinese team that, although always showing will and determination, is not yet up to compete at the top level.
Prediction: New Zealand wins 2 to 0.
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