England vs Haiti – Group Stage – Preview & Prediction | 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup
THE FACTS
When is England vs Haiti on and what time does it start? England vs Haiti will take place on Saturday 22nd July, 2023 – 10:30 (UK)
Where is England vs Haiti taking place? England vs Haiti will take place at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Australia
Where can I get tickets for England vs Haiti? Visit this link for the latest ticket information for England vs Haiti
What channel is England vs Haiti on in the UK? England vs Haiti will be televised live on ITV1
Where can I stream England vs Haiti in the UK? England vs Haiti can be streamed on ITVX
THE LOWDOWN
ENGLAND
- After winning the European Championships last summer on home turf, not to mention defeating Brazil on penalties in the 2023 Women’s Finalissima, excitement and expectation are rife in equal measure among England fans heading into the World Cup, the Lionesses being led again by Sarina Wiegman, a World Cup runner-up managing her native Netherlands back in 2019.
- However, the elephant in the room comes in the form of England’s raft of injuries to key players, which sees them travel to Australia without many of their European champions, such as captain Leah Williamson (Millie Bright will deputise across the tournament), forwards Fran Kirby and Beth Mead, not to mention the retirements of record goalscorer Ellen White and midfielder Jill Scott.
HAITI
- For Haiti just to be at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup for the first time ever having qualified through the Play-Off tournament is a triumph in itself and should be celebrated as such when considering their sheer lack of resources but they are unsurprisingly seen as outsiders in Group D.
- Of Haiti’s squad selected by head coach Nicolas Delepine, 15 players currently play their football in France, which has no doubt helped build a clear culture and chemistry within the squad, helping them reach this point.
THE TEAM NEWS
ENGLAND
PREDICTED XI (4-3-3): Earps; Bronze, Bright, Greenwood, Carter; Stanway, Walsh, Toone; James, Daly, Hemp
UNAVAILABLE: Kirby (Injured), Mead (Injured), Williamson (Injured)
QUESTIONABLE: Bright (Fitness)
HAITI
PREDICTED XI (4-2-2-2): Theus; Surpris, Limage, Joseph, Louis; Jeudy, Pierre-Louis; Louis, Mondesir; Borgella, Dumornay
UNAVAILABLE:
QUESTIONABLE:
THE KEY STATS
- England have never failed to make it through to the knockout phase in their previous five appearances. They reached the quarter-finals on their first three participations and followed up their best-ever finish of third in 2015 with fourth place in 2018.
- The Lionesses have scored in their last 13 matches at the finals, which is just two behind the record for most successive games with a goal which is held by Norway (1991-1999).
- England won ten games out of ten in their successful qualifying campaign for Australia & New Zealand 2023 and have now remained unbeaten in Women's World Cup qualifying for the fifth successive campaign. The last team to beat England in a qualifier was France in 2002.
- England have lost only two of their previous 15 FIFA Women’s World Cup™ group matches (W10 D3). They have won five in a row since a 1-0 defeat against France in their opening fixture in 2015.
- Haiti have qualified for the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ for the first time in their history emulating the achievement of the senior men’s team who participated at the World Cup finals in 1974.
- Haiti earned their place at the 2023 finals via a thrilling 2-1 victory against 2019 Women’s World Cup qualifiers Chile in the Play-off Tournament with Melchie Dumornay scoring both goals.
- Many of the current squad featured when Haiti made their debut at the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in 2018. This includes Nérilia Mondésir who scored all of their three goals at that tournament and also Melchie Dumornay who starred at the recent 2022 CONCACAF W Championship where she won the Best Young Player award and was also named in the Team of the Tournament.
THE PREDICTION
This represents a true ‘David vs Goliath’ match-up between two nations with vastly different levels of footballing resources. For England, any outcome other than a comfortable win would spark serious concern and if Haiti was to get anything against the European champions, it would be seen as one of the biggest tournament shocks. Even when shorn of many big-name players, England boast a cascade of talent that is the envy of many other countries and will ensure they enjoy significant domination over this fearless Haiti side. The teamwork built up by Haiti through many of their players competing together in France will serve them well, but they simply don’t have the individual ability compared to England and the Lionesses will surely come out on top by at least three clear goals.
TIP: ENGLAND TO WIN WITH -2 HANDICAP
