Eire skipper Katie McCabe has vowed her aspect will combat hearth with hearth and match Australia for physicality as they goal to spring a Girls’s World Cup upset.
The Irish have had a disrupted build-up to their first World Cup recreation after an ill-tempered pleasant with Colombia in Brisbane was deserted final week.
Coach Vera Pauw declared veteran midfielder Denise O’Sullivan, who picked up a shin damage within the Colombia recreation, could be out there for choice towards the Matildas on Thursday night time.
And McCabe stated her aspect held no fears as they prepared themselves to play earlier than a pro-Australian crowd at a sold-out Accor Stadium towards host nation Australia.
“For us now it’s full give attention to Australia. We knew Colombia have been going to be bodily, however that’s the identical as each different recreation,” McCabe stated on Wednesday.
“We’re Irish, we don’t shrink back from physicality.
“It’s ingrained in us because the hard-working group we’re.
“We’re ready for Australia to be bodily. We’ve seen that within the recreation they performed towards France and we’ll be ready to match it.”
Eire may be World Cup newcomers however the novelty, Pauw stated, wouldn’t overawe her aspect.
The coach’s religion is backed up by their outcomes over the previous 18 months.
They pushed world champions USA shut in two pleasant defeats and secured attracts with China and Sweden.
“We all know what we’re going to face,” Pauw stated.
“We do know the stress that we’ll be beneath.
“We’re practical in our probabilities right here, however we begin each recreation to win and we hope we will present our qualities.
“Thus far we haven’t collapsed beneath greater stress.”
The Irish loved a 3-2 win over Australia the final time the 2 sides met again in 2021.
However though they bought the higher of the Matildas in Dublin, McCabe is having fun with being billed as underdogs in Sydney.
“As a small nation that’s a title we stock,” she stated.
“We all know we’re debutants within the event and for us we all know what we wish to do – we don’t wish to simply be right here to be blissful to be right here.
“We wish to compete and we wish to give Australia, Canada and Nigeria the toughest video games doable.
“We all know what Australia have however we all know what we will do on the pitch as nicely.”