All you need to know ahead of Ireland’s opening fixture in the Women’s World Cup

THE Republic of Ireland will face host nation Australia on Thursday in their opening round fixture of Group B in the FIFA Women's World Cup.

Here’s all you need to know about the game.

Where and when is it on?

The sell-out game will take place at Stadium Australia in Sydney in front of 82,500 spectators. Kick-off is at 11am Irish time.  

Where can I watch the game? 

The match will be shown live on RTÉ Two television from 10:30am. There will also be live updates throughout the morning on RTÉ Radio 1 with commentary on RTÉ 2FM. 

What is the latest team news?

Following a behind closed doors challenge game against Columbia that was abandoned last week, Cork’s Denise O’Sullivan is the biggest concern.  The latest news from the camp is thankfully positive. The starting players will be named on Thursday an hour ahead of the kick-off. 

Weather outlook?

Temperatures of around 12 degrees are expected come the 8pm kick-off (local time), having hit around 20 degrees during the afternoon. Winds of up to 12km/h are forecast.

What are the odds? 

Australia are big favourites at 1/4 with Ireland 10/1 and the draw 9/2