 Former England captain Steph Houghton has warned to 'expect the unexpected' at the upcoming Women's World Cup. The Manchester City centre-back has England down as one of the favourites in a competition she believes is too close to call. Houghton, who will be on punditry duty with the BBC during the tournament, expects Spain to play the most entertaining football and the reigning champions the USA to mount a strong defence of their title. 'Whenever I've been involved in a World Cup it's always been the USA as favourites, and rightly so with their history and the players that they had,' she told Metro.co.uk. 'But it's very much open in the tournament this year, it will be all about who has that winning mentality and who can use their squad to keep everybody as fresh as possible. 'I think it will be hard to predict.' England has been rocked by notable injuries – with the likes of Leah Williamson, Fran Kirby and Beth Mead ruled out – in the lead-up to the World Cup. But Houghton points to the fact that none of the leading contenders have had a smooth build up. France captain Wendie Renard during a pre-World Cup friendly win over Ireland on July 6 (Picture: Peter Fitzpatrick/Action Plus/Shutterstock) Sam Kerr of Australia will be bolstered by the roar of home fans (Picture: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images) France, Canada and Spain have had public disputes over leadership, launched battles for funding and faced in-fighting with federations. 'I don't think any team's build-up to the tournament has been perfect in comparison to previous years', continued Houghton. 'England has got to be up there [in the favourites] because of the amazing Euros success. You also have Australia with the likes of Sam Kerr and Caitlin Foord on top of the home nation advantage. 'And Germany's overall mentality and their ability to win will be hard to look past. 'Spain have got some g){kind=link}
NEWS… BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT
Former England captain Steph Houghton has warned to ‘expect the unexpected’ at the upcoming Women’s World Cup.
The Manchester City centre-back has England down as one of the favourites in a competition she believes is too close to call.
Houghton, who will be on punditry duty with the BBC during the tournament, expects Spain to play the most entertaining football and the reigning champions the USA to mount a strong defence of their title.
‘Whenever I’ve been involved in a World Cup it’s always been the USA as favourites, and rightly so with their history and the players that they had,’ she told Metro.co.uk.