Republic of Ireland international Megan Campbell believes England and France's side of the draw has arguably become the most difficult at the FIFA Women's World Cup.
When the tournament kicked off originally, the opposite side of the draw which featured the USA, Sweden, Netherlands, Japan and Spain's groups were deemed to be the most difficult from which to make a concerted run towards the latter stages.
But in a competition replete with shock exits, the balance has shifted ahead of Friday and Saturday's quarter-final stage.
On the 'left' side of the bracket, an impressive Japan take on USA's last-16 conquerors Sweden, while Spain and Netherlands will vie to meet one of those sides in the semi-finals.
Meanwhile, the 'right' side has co-hosts Australia building momentum as they go up against a talented but unpredictable France, and European champions England will be wary of the threat posed by a Colombia side that helped eliminate powerhouses Germany on route to a first ever last-eight berth.
And it's that side of the draw that has become hardest to call according to Campbell who was speaking ahead of the impending quarter-finals which will be live across RTÉ television and the RTÉ Player.
"I actually think that the harder games are from the right hand side of the bracket compared to the left now as I look at it," she told the RTÉ Women's World Cup Podcast.
"It's going to be tough but brilliant for the neutral overall."
While Campbell tipped Japan and Spain to make it through to the last-four, from the other side of the equation, she expects England to just about edge out Colombia but added that it had the potential of a match that could go all the way to extra-time, similarly to the Three Lionesses' last-16 win over Nigeria which went to penalties.
Meanwhile, Australia and France met just prior to the tournament and the Matildas won 1-0 in a Melbourne friendly. However, a competitive fixture will be a different proposition, although Campbell reckons Australia, buoyed by their home crowd, will make the most of any French vulnerabilities.
"I think France are very vulnerable especially in possession in the backline and maybe if Australia press from the front and higher up, they'll have a lot of chances and turnovers," she said.
Watch the full podcast for a game-by-game preview of the quarter-finals and a review of the last-16 encounters.
Watch every game from the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup live on RTÉ with comprehensive coverage across television, radio and digital
Listen to the RTÉ Soccer podcast on Apple Podcasts, SoundCloud, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
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