Canada W vs Ireland W prediction: WORLD: World Cup Women betting tips on match 2023-07-25 12:00.
Canada manager Bev Priestman has urged her side to “move onto the next match” after a hugely disappointing 0-0 draw against Nigeria in their opening match of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. The Canucks need a quick improvement if they’re to reach the knockout stages for a third successive tournament, although their recent form has been worrying, winning just one of their last six matches (D1, L4).
Christine Sinclair, the leading international goalscorer of all time, missed a penalty for Canada in that worrying stalemate which saw them manage just two shots on target! They will now be desperate to rekindle the form that led them to Olympic glory in 2021, especially after a run of three defeats from their last five competitive internationals (W1, D1), failing to score in four of those games.
That might provide some hope to opponents Republic of Ireland, who lost 1-0 in their opening group game against tournament co-hosts Australia. That was a fourth defeat in six internationals for Vera Pauw’s side (W1, D1), but she remains confident that they have what it takes to bounce back, insisting they have shown they “can play against the best teams in the world.”
The manager’s belief is backed up by the Girls in Green’s qualifying campaign which saw them win six of their nine fixtures (D2, L1) to book their place at a major tournament for the first time. However, winning this game would still be considered a huge upset, given Ireland are 15 places below Canada in the FIFA rankings and have lost the only previous H2H.
Key battle: Sinclair can become the first player to score in six World Cups if she nets a 191st international goal for Canada here. She may be trying to outscore Katie McCabe, who has lost just two of the 15 games in which she has scored for Ireland (W10, D3).
Hot stat: There have been fewer than three goals in nine of Canada’s last eleven games at the World Cup.