New Zealand vs Solomon Islands Prediction and Betting Tips | June 17th 2024

New Zealand get their OFC Nations Cup campaign underway when they square off against Solomon Islands at the Fresh Wata Field on Monday. The Bonitos suffered a narrow defeat against Vanuatu in the Group A opener and will be looking to get their campaign up and running.

New Zealand will take to the pitch for the first time since March 26, when they fell to a penalty-shootout defeat against Tunisia after a goalless draw in normal time with the North Africans at the Cairo International Stadium.

With that result, Darren Bazeley’s men have failed to win their last seven matches, losing five and picking up two draws since a 2-1 victory over China in March 2023.

This poor run has been due to their struggles at both ends of the pitch, as they have conceded 11 goals in their last seven outings while scoring just three at the opposite end of the pitch.

Meanwhile, Solomon Islands kicked off their OFC Nations Cup campaign on Saturday when they fell to a 1-0 loss against Vanuatu.

Veteran forward Kensi Tangis grabbed the headlines at Fresh Wata Field as he netted the only goal of the game in the 72nd minute to hand Vanuatu an opening-day victory.

While the Solomon Islands will be looking to return to winning ways, next up is the daunting challenge of taking on New Zealand, whom they have failed to get the better of in their last 13 encounters since February 1980.

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New Zealand vs Solomon Islands Head-To-Head and Key Numbers

• New Zealand have been utterly dominant in the history of this fixture, having picked up 11 wins and two draws in the previous 13 meetings between the two nations.
• The Solomon Islands have lost all but one of their last four matches in all competitions, with March’s 2-1 victory over Fiji being the exception.
• New Zealand have managed just one win in their last 14 matches across all competitions while losing eight and claiming three draws since June 2022.
• The Bonitos have failed to win five of their last six away matches, losing four and picking up one draw since June 2023.

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New Zealand vs Solomon Islands Prediction

The Solomon Islands have stumbled into the new campaign and will be looking to quickly find their feet. However, New Zealand boast a superior and more experienced squad, and given their dominant record in this fixture, we are backing them to come away with a comfortable victory.

Prediction: New Zealand 2-1 Solomon Islands

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New Zealand vs Solomon Islands Betting Tips

Tip 1: Result - New Zealand to win

Tip 2: Both sides to score - Yes (New Zealand have failed to keep a clean sheet in seven of their last eight matches)

Tip 3: Over 4.5 cards - No (There have also been fewer than five bookings in nine of New Zealand’s last 10 outings)