As the excitement builds heading into the 2023 Women’s World Cup, we are taking a closer look at each group, what to expect and which players to look out for. Now we move onto Group B, which features the second host nation, Australia.
Group B:
Australia
Republic of Ireland
Nigeria
Canada
Now this is a World Cup group to look forward to. Co-hosts Australia, unlike New Zealand, have the weight of expectation on their shoulders. Excitement has flourished over the last twelve months as Tony Gustavsson has continued to strengthen, with wins over England, Spain and Sweden catching the eye.
READ MORE:
This year of recent success, with eight wins in their last nine, has allowed a nation to believe in this squad after the Swedish boss received some criticism at the start of his tenure. A 7-0 loss in Spain one year ago combined with a quarter-final exit at the Asian Games sparked serious concerns that they would flop on home soil, but these twelve months have been healing for the manager and his squad.
With 63 international goals, Chelsea’s Sam Kerr has carried the weight of expectation for this nation for so long, and the current captain is still the key figure. But what Gustavsson has tried to do is bring the squad up to speed with her. And he’s got a whole host of talent to choose from, with some whispers that this could even be their golden generation. But keep that one quiet.
Arsenal’s Steph Catley and Manchester City duo Alanna Kennedy and Hayley Raso should play big parts, while Kaitlin Foord, also of Arsenal, could take the goalscoring pressure off the shoulders of Kerr. But this is an exciting Aussie squad who should flourish in front of their home fans. They’re 4/9 to win this group with Betfred, something they should be able to do with the quality at their disposal.
The Republic of Ireland may find the going tough at this tournament, but they do have Katie McCabe and Denise O’Sullivan in midfield, two stars that could carry them to success. Amber Barrett scored the goal that took them to the World Cup, the first in their history, and Vera Pauw will hope to utilise her pace to get in behind their opponents in the group.
They will find it tough in this group however, with hosts Australia and Canada, the reigning Olympic champions. Bev Priestman knows she has one of the best defences in world football, and Canada prioritise that, with a strong belief they can keep any side in the world at bay. They beat Australia twice in 2022 which makes the 2/1 for them to win the group tempting, and they have the experience to go a long way in this competition. Sophie Schmidt, Desiree Scott and 40-year-old forward Christine Sinclair will likely be playing in their last competition, while this is also a chance for Priestman, who was assistant under England’s Phil Neville in 2019, to make her name on the biggest stage.
Nigeria are the underdogs of the group but they do possess one very special player. Asisat Oshoala went unbeaten with Barcelona this season, has netted 83 goals in 89 appearances for her club and a further 83 times for her country. She’s a phenomenon, having won African Women’s Footballer of the Year a record five times and is arguably the greatest African female footballer of all time.
Nigeria got to the round of 16 last time around before defeat to Germany, but a repeat of that performance seems a big ask. They are 40/1 to win the group with Betfred.
*18+ | BeGambleAware | Odds Subject To Change
