Australia faces Ireland Thursday on opening day of the 2023 Women’s World Cup in a Group B match. Kickoff from Sydney’s Accor Stadium — also known as Stadium Australia — is set for 6 a.m. ET (FOX). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Australia vs. Ireland odds, and make our best Women’s World Cup bets, picks and predictions.
Australia received an automatic bid for hosting the World Cup — as did co-host New Zealand, which is in Group A. Nigeria and Canada join Australia and Ireland in Group B.
The Aussies are 5-1-0 (W-L-D) this year, going 2-1-0 in friendlies and 3-0 in winning the Cup of Nations tournament in late February. Their lone loss was a 1-0 setback to Scotland April 7, but they rebounded with back-to-back wins — 2-0 vs. England April 11 and 1-0 vs. France July 14. Their defense has been solid, allowing just 3 goals in the 6 matches.
Ireland is 1-3-1 (all friendlies) since January, most recently suffering a 3-0 shutout by France July 6. Ireland was also blanked in back-to-back matches by the USWNT 1-0 and 2-0, April 11 and April 8, respectively. The win came against Zambia, 3-2 June 22; the draw was a 0-0 result vs. China Feb. 22. Ireland finished second in Group A qualifying, posting a 5-1-2 record before defeating Scotland 1-0 in a 2nd-round playoff. Ireland scored 26 goals and allowed 4 in the 8 qualifiers.
Australia ranks 10th and Ireland 22nd in the Women’s FIFA World Rankings.
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Australia vs. Ireland odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline: Australia -350 (bet $350 to win $100) | Ireland +850 (bet $100 to win $850) | Draw +450
- Over/Under: 2.5 (O: -140 | U: +100)
Australia vs. Ireland picks and predictions
Prediction
Australia 2, Ireland 0
Moneyline (ML)
PASS.
Australia (-350) should benefit from playing on its home soil. The Aussies should receive an extra boost of energy from their fans. Plus, they have F Sam Kerr, arguably the best player in the tournament. She ranks No. 1 on ESPN’s best players of the World Cup listing.
Expect Kerr to help put on a show as Australia wins its opener. However, at -350, the price is too steep to back here.
Over/Under (O/U)
BET UNDER 2.5 (+100).
Ireland has the talent to perform well offensively, but it hasn’t shown it over the past several years. As mentioned, the Girls in Green have been held scoreless in 4 of 5 games this year. Their final 6 games of 2022 involved shutouts with 4 matches ending in a 1-0 final. The 4 forwards Ireland brought have a combined 60 caps but just 10 goals, so it hasn’t been a strong offensive side the last few years.
While Kerr is incredible for Australia, the Ireland defense allowed just 3 combined goals in the 2 friendlies vs. the U.S. in April. Australia has gone Under this total in 3 straight games and has held its opponent scoreless in 4 of its last 6 games. The Aussies have 3 players on its backline with 100+ caps and GK Lydia Williams has 102 as well.
Despite Kerr’s excellence, BET UNDER 2.5 (+100).
Check out Pro Soccer Wire: For the American soccer fan, USA TODAY Sports Media Group’s website provides a fresh look at the beautiful game.
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