Spain-Zambia, Canada-Ireland predictions, picks by Chris ‘The Bear’ Fallica

Chris Fallica

FOX Sports Wagering Expert

“Bear Bets” are real wagers that Chris “The Bear” Fallica is actually making.

The 2023 Women’s World Cup is heating up as we head into the second week of group play — and you can watch all the action on FOX and the FOX Sports app.

As for gambling on these matches, I’ll give you my best bets daily for these matchups throughout the tournament. Basically, if I see an edge, and I’m betting on it, I’ll share it. I want us all to win!

I believe in transparency, so my tournament best bets record currently sits at 8-6 (+$50, based on to win $100 on each wager).

Let’s dive into the fun with a couple of bets I’m making for Day 7. 

Japan vs. Costa Rica, 1 a.m. ET Wednesday, FS1 and the FOX Sports app

Japan Win and Under 3.5 goals -105

The million-dollar question is what to make of Japan’s dominant performance against Zambia (5-0). Was it a case of really good Japan against really poor Zambia, or a bit of both? My guess is it was a bit of both, considering Japan could have had more than the five it put up, as it had two goals disallowed by VAR.

That being said, it was still 0-0 until the 43rd minute, and the fifth goal came on a penalty in the 11th minute of second-half stoppage time. 

The thing is, how much resistance will Costa Rica offer here? It didn’t have much possession of the ball against Spain but actually did very well to keep it to 3-0 by not conceding a goal in the final 63 minutes of the match.

My best guess is Japan regresses just a tad in the attack but still does enough to comfortably win something along the lines of 2-0 or 3-0. 

PICK: Japan Win and Under 3.5 goals (bet $10 to win $19.52 total)

RELATED: Where USWNT can improve ‘finishing’

Spain vs. Zambia, 3:30 a.m. ET Wednesday, FS1 and the FOX Sports app

Spain Over 4.5 goals -140

Zambia easily had the worst performance of the group stage, and it likely will not get any better here as it takes on Spain, which had the best performance of the group stage thus far. It truly is baffling how Zambia beat Germany 3-2 just a tad over two weeks ago. 

Making matters worse than solely the zero-shot effort in the 5-0 loss to Japan is the team’s backup goalkeeper Catherine Musonda — who was thrust into the starting job — received two yellow cards, so she’s out for the Spain match. As a result, Zambia will have its third-string keeper facing a Spanish side that had 4.1 expected goals, 77% possession and 45 attempts in the 3-0 win over Costa Rica. 

Good luck to Zambia … it will need it. 

PICK: Spain Over 4.5 goals (bet $10 to win $17.14 total)

Is this the TOUGHEST World Cup for the USWNT?

Alexi Lalas, Stu Holden and Heather O’Reilly debate whether this is the toughest World Cup for the USWNT in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Canada vs. Republic of Ireland, 8 a.m. Wednesday, FOX and the FOX Sports app

Republic of Ireland or Draw +130

Canada had a big statistical edge on Nigeria in the opener, but the Canucks really couldn’t register much in the final third of the match, as Nigeria really became focused on making sure it held on for the draw after Christine Sinclair missed a penalty.

Canada now has one win, four losses and a draw in its last six matches and has scored just four goals in those matches. So the inability to get three points against Nigeria is a little more than a one-off.

A clumsy penalty cost Ireland taking a point against a Sam Kerr-less Australia squad, and there were a good number of instances in the match where Ireland looked to be the more dangerous side. This was especially true in the second half, when it had seven corners to just one for Australia but couldn’t convert for the equalizer.

If Ireland can get a point here, it has a real way through to the knockout round, as Canada would have to beat Australia in the third group game if Ireland were to beat Nigeria. 

With Katie McCabe and Denise O’Sullivan in the midfield, I think Ireland has a real chance to win and will make it extremely difficult for Canada to get all three points here. 

PICK: Republic of Ireland or Draw (bet $10 to win $23 total)

Chris “The Bear” Fallica has covered sports for nearly three decades. While college football has been his focus, he also enjoys the NFL, Soccer, Golf, Tennis, MLB, NHL and Horse Racing, with an “occasional” wager on such events. Chris recently won the inaugural Circa Football Invitational and finished in the Top 10 of the Golden Nugget Football Contest. He’s a multiple-time qualifier for the NHC Handicapping Championship. Remember, “The less you bet, the more you lose when you win!” Follow him on Twitter @chrisfallica. 

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