When it comes to attacking talent, Canada (+1,100) definitely holds the advantage in this matchup. They have in their ranks world-class stars such as Christine Sinclair and Janine Beckie. Sinclair showed her worth in the Group F opener against Australia wherein she recorded a goal and an assist. She got the tournament rocking by creating the fastest goal in Olympic history. Her interception enabled Beckie to score just 20 seconds into the game.
Sinclair then applied the finishing touches in the upset win with a spectacular long-range strike past the onrushing Aussie goalkeeper Lydia Williams. The 33-year-old has now scored a whopping 163 goals in international play, nine of which have come at the Olympic Games. Sinclair was the top-scorer in the 2012 London Olympics and it isn’t far-fetched to see her duplicating that feat here in Rio.
Zimbabwe (+50,000), on the other hand, got a rude awakening in their Olympic tournament debut against Germany. The Mighty Warriors only had 23 percent of the possession in their humiliating five-goal defeat to the Germans. They will take comfort in the fact, however, that they managed to score a goal against the two-time World Cup champions. Kudakwashe Basopo scored on a rebound in the 50th minute to hand the debutants their first-ever Olympic goal.
Defensive Edge – Canada
When central defender Shelina Zadorsky got sent off in the 19th minute against Australia, many were expecting the worst for the Canadians. Fortunately for them, substitute Rebecca Quinn stepped up to the plate and held the fort for 10-woman Canada. The situation didn’t faze her as she quickly formed a solid partnership with Kadeisha Buchanan. They were Canada’s centre-back duo at the 2014 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup and their experience proved vital in thwarting the Matildas’ attack. The Canadians will need more of the same from this newly-formed central pairing against Zimbabwe especially now that Zadorsky is suspended for that crunch clash.
Zimbabwe’s backline, on the other hand, was subjected to a six-goal shellacking at the hands of Germany on Wednesday. It could have been much worse for the Mighty Warriors as the Germans racked up a whopping 39 shots in their opening encounter. The result wasn’t much of a surprise, though, considering the Mighty Warriors only have four recognized defenders in their squad for these Olympic Games. They will need to be at their best to stop a Canada side that is currently ranked 10th in the world.
