Canada look likely to receive a major boost for their crucial World Cup match against the Republic of Ireland after key midfielder Jessie Fleming returned to training on Monday.
The 25-year-old Chelsea star was unavailable for the reigning Olympic champions' 0-0 draw with Nigeria last Friday due to a calf injury.
Canada missed a penalty in that match, Nigerian goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie producing a brilliant save to stop striker Christine Sinclair from becoming the first ever player to score in six different men's or women's FIFA World Cups.
Fleming - Canada's Player of the Year in 2021 and 2022 - is her country's usual penalty taker, converting from the spot in the Olympic Games semi-final win over the USA and the final triumph against Sweden, when she scored in normal time and then rattled the net again in the shootout.
She also takes their set-pieces, and is an intelligent creative force in the middle of the park. Canada had over 450 passes against the Nigerians but toiled for most of the game.
They'll be desperate to welcome back Fleming, who has won three Women's Super Leagues on the bounce with Chelsea since joining in 2020.
The Girls in Green will look to ignite their World Cup with what would be a seismic win on Wednesday. The game takes place at the Perth Rectangular Stadium and kicks off at 1pm Irish time [live on RTÉ2, RTÉ Player and RTÉ 2fm].
Watch Republic of Ireland v Canada in the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player on Wednesday at 1pm, follow a live blog on RTÉ.ie/Sport and the RTÉ News app or listen to live commentary on 2fm
