Haiti vs NZ Prediction: International Football Betting Tips & Odds

Haiti and New Zealand face off at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale on Wednesday afternoon NZT in the first of two pre-World Cup warm-up matches for both sides.

It’s a ground the All Whites will know well. They played Colombia here in November and went down 2-1 after conceding in the third and 88th minutes. In this Haiti vs New Zealand preview, I’m focusing on World Cup readiness, recent form, and why the goals market looks underpriced.

If you’re after football tips for the All Whites’ final stretch of preparation, I’ve got one at better than $1.70 worth a close look.

Haiti

Haiti are heading to a World Cup for the first time since 1974. Sebastien Migne has turned them into a compact, counter-attacking side who frustrated bigger CONCACAF teams throughout qualifying, and the squad he’s named is almost entirely diaspora-based. Only one player from the domestic league made the cut.

Wilson Isidor recently switched allegiance from France and plays for Sunderland. He scored an 88th-minute equaliser against Iceland in March. Jean-Ricner Bellegarde is at Wolves. I’m wary of their attacking depth even in a friendly setting.

Their WCQ form was solid - three wins, two draws and a loss from six third-round matches, with clean sheets against Costa Rica and Nicaragua. But the March friendlies were less convincing. Tunisia beat them 1-0 with a seventh-minute goal, and they only salvaged a draw against Iceland through Isidor’s late intervention.

Team News: Full World Cup squad available. Placide expected in goal. Arcus likely returns at right-back.

Predicted Lineup: Placide; Arcus, Ade, Delcroix, Duverne; Bellegarde, Jean Jacques, Pierre; Providence, Nazon, Isidor.

New Zealand

I’d love to tell you the All Whites are charging into the World Cup on a wave of confidence. Two wins from their last 10 internationals, and one of those - the 4-1 against Chile in March - came against 10 men before the half-hour mark.

But I’ve watched enough of this group to know the record only tells part of the story. They gave Colombia problems at this same ground in November, equalising through Ben Old before conceding in the 88th minute. They drew with Norway away. Bazeley has them competitive against higher-ranked opposition, even when results don’t follow.

Chris Wood is 34 now but fit and captaining a second World Cup campaign after featuring as a teenager in South Africa. His 45 goals in 88 caps are staggering for a nation ranked 85th. Tyler Bindon, on loan at Sheffield United from Forest, gives them quality at centre-back that would’ve been unthinkable a decade ago.

Team News: All 26 World Cup squad members available. Bazeley will rotate, with fitness management the priority ahead of the England friendly four days later.

Predicted Lineup: Crocombe; Payne, Boxall, Bindon, Cacace; Bell, Stamenic; Garbett, Singh, Just; Wood.

• This is the first ever senior meeting between these two nations.
• New Zealand have won just two of their last 10 internationals.
• Haiti scored once across their two March friendlies against Tunisia and Iceland.
• New Zealand played at this same venue in November and lost 2-1 to Colombia.
• Both sides are ranked within two places of each other in the FIFA rankings, with Haiti 83rd and NZ 85th.

I’m torn on who wins this, as I don’t think it’s all that important to either camp right now. Both coaches will be managing minutes and testing combinations ahead of bigger fixtures. Haiti face Scotland on June 13. NZ take on England four days after this one.

What I do feel confident about is goals, or the absence of them. Haiti under Migne are defensively disciplined. NZ have struggled to score against anyone outside Oceania. Neither side will risk injury over a friendly, and the humid Fort Lauderdale conditions won’t encourage anything open.

If forced to pick a winner, I’d lean New Zealand on account of Wood and the deeper European experience through their squad. But I’d rather focus on the total, through the best live betting sites available to NZ punters.

Under 2.5 Goals @ $1.75

Both coaches have said publicly that World Cup preparation is the priority. Migne wants defensive shape. Bazeley wants to manage fitness. Neither has a reason to force things in a match where the real test comes 11 days from now.

Haiti scored once across their two March friendlies. New Zealand have failed to score in four of their last 10 matches. Pre-tournament fixtures between evenly matched sides at this level are rarely open, and the caution that comes with a World Cup less than a fortnight away should dampen this one.

At $1.75, it’s a price I’m comfortable backing through the betting apps that service New Zealand punters.