New Zealand – Fiji Prediction & Preview and Betting Tips (28.03.2017)

Prediction for New Zealand – Fiji

Will win New Zealand and less than 3.5 goals @ 1.95

Party of the penultimate round of classification of the Confederation of Oceania for the 2018 World-wide one of Russia that will face the selections of New Zealand and Fiji. The calendar makes New Zealand have 7 pts. In 3 matches and play his last game, while Fiji will still have 3 matches left. The fact is that New Zealand with a single point would be enough to be in the final round of the classification.

New Zealand

New Zealand is no longer the team that wandered around Oceania. The decline of the kiwis level and above all, the appearance of decent teams like New Caledonia, Tahiti or Fiji has to make efforts in its qualifying phases. This year has not had anything easy: it has won 2-0 and tied to 0 with the selection of New Caledonia, while Fiji beat him 0-2 in the first leg. The team consists mostly of players from the Australian and New Zealand leagues, and in it they emphasize players present in European leagues like the English, inferior divisions German, etc. The team is led by Tuiloma, Marseille midfielder, and above all Chris Wood, team scorer: huge and powerful front-runner, for whom New Zealand plays with a set of side centers and direct balls.

Fiji

Fiji is a team that has progressed from the indecency of Oceania’s “random” selections. The current team is made up of players from Fijian clubs that compete acceptably in the Championships of Oceania and others from Australia and New Zealand. The reality is that it is a decent team, ordered defensively and with minimum tactical levels that allow it to compete with teams of higher level. In addition, the fact of being made up of players of the same club for the most part, is always positive because of the less need for adaptation. In addition, Fiji has a decent goalkeeper, a rare avis on the continent. They are here after surpassing the previous round with 3 points, and in which already they faced New Zealand. On that occasion the score was 3-1, with penalties in favor of both teams. I add that Fiji is incorporating a selection of players who came to play in the U-20 World Cup, where they even won a game.

In the first leg, 0-2 in Fiji, New Zealand did not show clearly superior to the Fijians (at least to the expected level) and had to resort to a penalty (quite picturesque) and a blatant defensive error to prevail. New Zealand does not have the offensive virtues of other selections that can dismantle sets of this level. Much direct play and little else. Fiji, through order (all the order that can have a selection of Oceania), should make difficult the victory of a selection that does not prove so superior as it is presupposed.

I do not doubt that New Zealand will win this game, but I do not think it will do so with looseness; And I do not think Fiji will score. The match will be more even than expected.