The Azzurre and the Albiceleste face off at Eden Park! Check out the Women's World Cup series as we lay down our Italy-Argentina odds, prediction, pick, and how-to-watch guide for this year's FIFA Women's World Cup.

The Blues are ranked 16th in the latest FIFA rankings. In 2019, after a 20-year drought, Italy qualified for the World Cup where they equaled their previous best performance, reaching the quarter-finals.

The White and Sky-Blues are placed 28th in the June 2023 FIFA ratings. This year marks the fourth time that Argentina will play in the World Cup, and they will aim to get past the group stage by securing a win here against Italy.

Here are the FIFA Women's World Cup Odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

FIFA Women's World Cup Odds: Italy-Argentina Odds

Italy: -190

Argentina: +480

Draw: +310

Over 2.5 Goals: -104

Under 2.5 Goals: -122

How To Watch Italy vs. Argentina

TV: Peacock, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, Fox Sports 1, Telemundo,

Stream: fuboTV, FIFA+, FOX Sports App, Foxsports.com, YouTube, Peacock Premium, DirecTV Stream, Sling Blue

Time: 2 AM ET / 11 PM PT

*Watch FIFA Women's World Cup LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why Italy Will Beat Argentina

The Italian side comes into the tournament loaded with talent across the field, making a second consecutive appearance in the World Cup for the first time ever. They previously participated in 1991, 1999, and 2019. In the last edition, they made it to the quarterfinals in France but are now aiming to achieve a deeper run.

Italy is making back-to-back appearances at the FIFA Women's World Cup for the first time in their history, ending a 20-year absence when they featured in France 2019. Overall, this marks their fourth participation. In Women's World Cup history, Italy has never lost their opening match. Head coach Milena Bertolini holds the distinction of being the first coach to lead Italy in two editions of the FIFA Women's World Cup, having also been in charge in 2019 when they reached the quarter-finals.
Bertolini faces a lot of pressure after Azzurre's poor performance in the 2022 European Championships. She now leads the Italian squad to their second consecutive Women's World Cup, and expectations are high, especially after reaching the quarter-finals in the previous edition. Italy is likely to start the match with a fast pace to take control early on and will adopt an attacking style of play, pushing bodies forward at every opportunity, and aiming for their first Women's World Cup win.

Italy aims to surpass its best result of reaching the quarterfinals in 1991 and 2019. In other tourneys, the Azzurre were runners-up in the 1993 and 1997 UEFA Women's Championship. They also ranked third in the 2023 Arnold Clark Cup, where Sofia Cantore, Arianna Caruso, Manuela Giugliano, and Martina Rosucci scored all four goals in three games.

The Italian squad boasts a substantial mix of both youthful talent and seasoned experience.  Several players from Italy's 2019 quarterfinal run were left out, and Bertolini opted for an inexperienced but talented side, with Manuela Giugliano leading the attack. Giugliano, 25, possesses the rare vision to find passing lanes and set up players like Cristiana Girelli and Valentina Giacinti. Girelli boasts 46 international goals in 78 matches, while Giacinti scored 13 goals to help Roma clinch their first Serie A title last season.

Why Argentina Will Beat Italy

After witnessing the men's national team achieve World Cup glory last year, it is now the turn of the Argentinian women's national team to step onto the world stage and attempt to emulate the success of Lionel Messi and the men's team in bringing further footballing triumphs to Argentina.

Although they have yet to secure a victory in the competition's history, Argentina showed significant improvement in the 2019 Women's World Cup, earning two draws and gaining at least three points in the group stage. This summer, their objective is to reach the knockout phase for the first time, as they had previously been eliminated in the group stage in their three previous appearances. Argentina earned their spot at the 2023 finals by defeating Paraguay 3-1 in the third-place play-off at the 2022 Copa America Femenina. Yamila Rodríguez, who scored twice for Argentina in that match, emerged as the overall top scorer in the tournament with six goals.

Argentina presents a substantial offensive threat, and while their backline will face a tough examination, they possess attacking players capable of striking Italy hard on the counter-attack. Ranked No. 28, they will be led in the attack by Palmeiras striker Yamila Rodriguez, who finished as the top scorer in the 2022 Copa America with six goals. Estefanía Banini, named the world's best starting 11 in 2021, plays a key role in the attack. Midfielder Lorena Benitez has a wealth of experience despite being just 24, having made her professional debut before her 14th birthday. There are no reported injuries in Argentina's squad.

Germán Portanova is only the second coach to lead Argentina at the Women's World Cup, following Carlos Borrello who was in charge in 2003, 2007, and 2019. Under Portanova's guidance, Argentina aims to advance past the group stage for the first time in its history, having previously exited at that stage in 2003, 2007, and 2019.

Final Italy-Argentina Prediction & Pick

Italy will nudge Argentina with a tiny margin of victory. A draw might still be a possibility, but Italy will take away a low-scoring win with a possible clean sheet.

Final Italy-Argentina Prediction & Pick: Italy (-190), Under 2.5 goals (-12