Australia vs Republic of Ireland – Group Stage – Preview & Prediction | 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup
THE FACTS
When is Australia vs Republic of Ireland on and what time does it start? Australia vs Republic of Ireland will take place on Thursday 20th July, 2023 – 11:00 (UK)
Where is Australia vs Republic of Ireland taking place? Australia vs Republic of Ireland will take place at Sydney Football Stadium in Sydney, Australia.
Where can I get tickets for Australia vs Republic of Ireland? Visit this link for the latest ticket information for Australia vs Republic of Ireland
What channel is Australia vs Republic of Ireland on in the UK? Australia vs Republic of Ireland will be televised live on ITV 1
Where can I stream Australia vs Republic of Ireland in the UK? Australia vs Republic of Ireland can be streamed on ITV X.
THE LOWDOWN
AUSTRALIA
- Australia sees this World Cup as their golden opportunity to turbo-charge the women’s game in the country by winning the tournament and they come into the competition with one of the strongest squads in their history.
- Three-time quarter-finalists, the Matildas are captained by arguably the best striker on the planet in Chelsea’s Sam Kerr, no doubt a strong bet to win the golden boot having scored 89 goals for the Blues over the last three seasons at club level, alongside the 63 goals she has bagged for her country.
REPUBLIC OF IRELAND
- A nail-biting 0-1 play-off victory over Scotland last October saw Republic of Ireland make history book their place at the FIFA Women’s World Cup for the first time, a significant achievement for an extremely well-drilled side who pride themselves on their work ethic and defensive stability.
- Katie McCabe of Arsenal has stood out for her country, leading the charge alongside the likes of Denise O’Sullivan, but allegations directed at head coach Vera Pauw from her former players at Houston Dash have taken media attention away from the side and can’t have helped their preparations.
THE TEAM NEWS
AUSTRALIA
PREDICTED XI (4-4-2): Arnold; Carpenter, Hunt, Polkinghorne, Catley; Raso, Cooney-Cross, Gorry, Vine; Foord, Kerr
UNAVAILABLE:
QUESTIONABLE: Yallop (Injured)
REPUBLIC OF IRELAND
PREDICTED XI (5-4-1): Brosnan; Payne, Fahey, Quinn, Caldwell, McCabe; Farrelly, O’Sullivan, Littlejohn, Sheva; Carusa
UNAVAILABLE: Mannion (Injured), O’Sullivan (Injured)
QUESTIONABLE:
THE KEY STATS
- Australia are competing in their eighth consecutive FIFA Women's World Cup™, having only missed the inaugural tournament in 1991.
- Australia have progressed through to the knockout stage at each of the last four editions of the FIFA Women's World Cup™.
- In their group stage match against Brazil at the 2019 tournament, Australia became just the second side in FIFA Women’s World Cup™ history to win a match having been at least two goals behind. The Matildas recovered from a 2-0 deficit after 38 minutes to record a famous win in a five-goal thriller.
- Against Jamaica in 2019, Sam Kerr became the first Australian to score a hat-trick at the FIFA Women’s World Cup™, and only the third player to score four times in a game at the finals. That follows Michelle Akers and Alex Morgan, both from USA, who achieved the feat of scoring five goals in a game.
- The Republic of Ireland won their last four matches in the qualifiers without conceding a goal and earned their place at the 2023 finals with a 1-0 victory away to Scotland in the UEFA play-offs after finishing second in their group behind Sweden.
- A number of the current squad - Grace Maloney, Ciara Grant, Denise O'Sullivan - featured for the Republic of Ireland when they reached the quarter-finals at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in 2010.
THE PREDICTION
For Australia, this really is all about staying cool under pressure. So much expectation has been put on their shoulders and the home crowd will anticipate a positive result. With the attacking resources at the disposal of the hosts, led of course by the outstanding Kerr, Australia should carve out plenty of chances to score here, although Republic of Ireland won’t be easy to break down when considering that they only conceded four goals over the course of their World Cup qualifying campaign. They’ll no doubt work extremely hard off the ball, but over the course of 90 minutes, it’s hard to see them being able to contain the Matildas. Therefore, back Australia to ultimately gain victory.
TIP: AUSTRALIA TO WIN
