Luis Torres
Dailysports's expert
New Zealand
Fiji
As part of the World Cup qualifiers in the Oceania zone, the national teams of New Zealand and Fiji will face off in a decisive encounter. The game is scheduled for Friday, March 21, 2025, at 07:10 Central European Time. We suggest considering a bet on the match's goal productivity.
New Zealand
New Zealand is showcasing a confident performance in the World Cup qualifying campaign. The team has won all three matches, scoring 19 goals and conceding only one, which highlights their dominance in the Oceania region.
In their last match, they crushed Samoa with a score of 8-0, with Chris Wood, the team's main star, scoring a hat-trick. The Nottingham striker has already netted 6 goals in this qualifying cycle.
Under the guidance of Darren Bazeley, the team employs a tactical approach that maximizes their strengths. Bazeley has instilled a winning mentality and a flexible attacking style that has proven difficult for regional opponents to overcome.
Fiji
Fiji finished the group stage in second place, showing both their potential and existing issues. In three matches, they secured one victory and drew twice, with a goal difference of 5:4. In the last five encounters, the team also managed to avoid defeats, but won only once, drawing four times.
A recent 3-1 victory over the Solomon Islands was an important achievement, confirming their ability to compete at this level. However, the upcoming away game against New Zealand will be Fiji's toughest test in this qualifying cycle.
Probable lineups
New Zealand: Paulsen, Ru, Surman, Peinaker, De Vries, Stamenic, Bell, McCowatt, Ruffer, Singh, Wood.
Fiji: Narayan, Baravilala, Begg, Vara, Vasconcellos, Nabose, Dunn, Hughes, Krishna, Jennings, Matanisiga.
Interesting facts and head-to-head meetings
- New Zealand has won the last 4 matches.
- New Zealand has won their last 6 home matches.
- The last 4 matches involving New Zealand ended with a total of over 2.5 goals.
- Fiji is unbeaten in 5 matches in a row.
- In the last 4 head-to-head meetings, New Zealand emerged victorious.
- In the last 3 home head-to-head meetings, New Zealand has won.
Match prediction New Zealand vs Fiji
New Zealand displays a powerful attacking game and stable defense, making them the clear favorite. Fiji, although improving their results, still significantly trail New Zealand in terms of play level. Considering New Zealand's attacking potential and Fiji's defensive vulnerabilities, the most likely outcome of the match is a confident victory for New Zealand with a high score. My bet is on a total of over 4 goals with odds of 1.69.
