The Republic of Ireland go into their fifth game in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup Qualifiers this evening as they take on Group A leaders Sweden in Gothenburg.
Vera Pauw’s squad are currently second in the Group – 11 points behind Sweden with a game in hand. Sweden require a single point to secure qualification to next year’s tournament.
The game will be broadcast live on RTÉ2 and worldwide on the RTÉ Player, kicking off at 17:30 Irish Time (18:30 local time).
It will be the toughest task this Ireland team has faced with Sweden number two in the world and brimming with confidence.
So much so in fact that they have printed a comprehensive guide on how to beat them in their Adidas jersey.
Som en hyllning till Sverige som ett av världens mest öppna och transparenta länder lanserar vi damlandslagets nya landslagströja med en guide till våra motståndare. 🙌
Guiden berättar hur vi spelar, hur vi vinner, och hur man bör spela mot oss för att ha en chans. 🇸🇪 pic.twitter.com/H8rAXnWKH9
— Svensk Fotboll (@svenskfotboll) April 5, 2022
What’s that they say about pride before a fall.
The closest game they have had in this campaign came at Tallaght Stadium when only a deflected own goal separated the sides and if the Republic of Ireland can secure a point this evening it will be perhaps their greatest ever result.
The Irish team will go into the game with confidence buoyed by the reaction to the SKY tv ad that kicked off over the weekend telling their story.
“This is the kind of game that we want to be involved in and one that we must experience if we are to achieve our goal of qualifying for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, said manager Vera Pauw.
“We are going into a full stadium to play the second-highest ranked team in women’s football, so we have no option but to raise our game.”
“We have prepared as best as we can within the timeframe that we have been given. We have four difficult qualifying games to go in our Group and we feel ready to take on those challenges.”
“Sweden is up next and we fully respect their quality. We know that we will have to adapt to their game as they are second in the world. We hope to continue the good form that we have shown in recent games and compete as a team against this massive team.”
Northern Ireland are also in action this evening hosting England in Belfast in a game that will foreshadow their meeting in the final group stage game at this summer’s Euro 2022 Finals.
The IFA announced a major new sponsorship deal for the team this morning. Read about that here on Sport for Business.
