Women's World Cup
Australia v Republic of Ireland, kick-off 11am Irish time
TV
Watch all the action live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Coverage begins at 7.30am ahead of New Zealand’s game with Norway, and focus will then turn to Ireland’s opener following the final whistle in Auckland.
RADIO
Listen to live commentary on RTÉ 2fm.
ONLINE
Follow our live blog on RTÉ.ie and the RTÉ News app for updates and video highlights, followed by report and reaction from Sydney.
WEATHER
Temperatures of around 12 degrees are expected come the 8pm kick-off, having hit 20 during the afternoon, with winds of up to 12km/h.
Ireland arrive on big stage
Katie McCabe has urged the Ireland squad to harness the spirit of the underdog ahead of their World Cup bow.
Ireland are ranked 12 places below their Group B opponents, who will be backed by the majority of the 80,000 crowd at Stadium Australia.
'We don't want to be just happy to be here,' says Katie McCabe, who says Ireland embrace the underdog tag#WWC2023 pic.twitter.com/FCc7EIP6Y4
— RTÉ Soccer (@RTEsoccer) July 19, 2023
"It is something as a small nation, you kind of carry that [underdog] title I guess," said Ireland captain McCabe.
"We know we are debutants in the tournament, but we know what we want to do. We don’t want to just be happy to be here.
"We want to compete and give Australia, Canada and Nigeria the hardest games possible. That will start tomorrow night and it is exciting."
Head coach Vera Pauw referenced their slogan 'outbelieve’ when looking ahead to playing Australia and insisted they would not buckle under pressure after coming through stern examinations with Sweden, Finland and Scotland to qualify for a first-ever major tournament.
"That word will end up in the dictionary because we outbelieve we can do something special here," said Pauw.
"We are a team who so far we did not collapse on the higher pressure, whether it was away in a record crowd with Sweden, away with a record crowd in Finland or at Hampden Park and in our stadium with record crowds."
Australia embracing pressure
After four years of preparation, Australia kick off their home World Cup in front of a record crowd and the significance of the moment was not lost on captain Sam Kerr and manager Tony Gustavsson.
"We spoke about that, Sam and me, coming up here. It felt a bit unreal," Gustavsson said. "It's actually happening. All the prep work that we've done for years, all the days of hard work, and now it's finally coming together in 24 hours."
Australia's star striker Sam Kerr says her team are prepared for Ireland's defensive approach tomorrow but will focus on their own gameplan #wwc2023 pic.twitter.com/Da3FtYwBds
— RTÉ Soccer (@RTEsoccer) July 19, 2023
Australia are making their eighth appearance at a World Cup and have yet to progress past the quarter-final stage.
However, this is considered the best Matildas team ever assembled and are among the favourites after a string of strong recent results, with Kerr pointing to their versatility and ability to play different roles as a reason they have won nine of their last ten matches, including a 1-0 win over France in a friendly last Friday and a 2-0 win over England in April that ended the Lionesses' 30-game unbeaten streak.
Kerr made her debut for Australia at 15 and is taking part in her fourth World Cup. Rather than feeling the weight of pressure, she said they are embracing it.
"To be at home and get the feel for it, walk down the streets and see people that are excited or flying around the country to watch us, it's nice to be able to feel the love," the Chelsea forward said. "We're really proud to bring this World Cup home and let Australia experience what we do all around the world.
"It's something that we're trying to take in our stride, every time we play at home we play really well, so hopefully that's how this one goes too."
Aussie boss targets Irish weaknesses
Australia manager Tony Gustavsson says he has spotted flaws in Ireland's system
Gustavsson says Australia have identified chinks in Ireland’s armour and plan to expose them in Thursday’s opener.
Not only has the Swede already decided on his starting XI and knows what substitutions he will make, as well as how Australia expose Vera Pauw’s organised side.
"We've had time to think what this game will look like," said Gustavsson. "If you look at Ireland’s games lately against top teams, there’s no coincidence that have been really, really strong at the beginning of both the first and second halves.
"But also it's no coincidence that they’ve conceded goals late in each half, especially when it comes to tactics and behaviours of one or two players that we’ve identified.
"We hope to strike against those on Thursday. I’m not going to say what but there’s a clear trend there we’ll target."
Team news
Vera Pauw confirms Denise O'Sullivan is fit and will play against Australia
Gustavsson clearly isn’t short on confidence but he was guarded when it came to revealing who he had picked to start against Ireland.
He also declined to provide an update on midfielder Tameka Yallop, who injured her knee during last week’s win over France.
Ireland received a timely boost with confirmation that Denise O’Sullivan will start. The midfielder has recovered from the shin injury sustained against Colombia and came through training on Monday and Tuesday with no adverse reaction.
Watch Republic of Ireland v Australia in the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player on Thursday at 11am, follow a live blog on RTÉ.ie/Sport and the RTÉ News app or listen to live commentary on 2fm
Watch every game from the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup live on RTÉ, with comprehensive coverage of the Republic of Ireland across television, radio and digital
