Ireland Women v Nigeria Women

Republic of Ireland Women vs Nigeria Women Preview

Republic of Ireland and Nigeria meet at the Brisbane Stadium in this final game of Group B with the Irish having nothing left to play for but pride while Nigeria find themselves in a three-way contest for the top two positions in the group along with Canada and Australia.

Republic of Ireland have now been eliminated from this World Cup as there is no chance of catching up their opponents, Nigeria, and indeed Canada who sit in the top two positions of the group and four points above the Irish prior to Matchday 3.

Back-to-back defeats against Australia and Canada in 1-0 and 2-1 losses respectively have ended Republic of Ireland's ambitions of reaching the knockout stage in their first ever appearance at a World Cup and they now face a tough assignment against Nigeria who will be desperate to pick up all three points in this encounter.

Recent results suggest this could well be the case as Vera Pauw's side have managed to collect just one win from their previous seven matches in all competitions with their one success during this period being a 3-2 win against Zambia but having also slipped to five defeats as well, the Irish look set for another tough evening at the office here on Monday night.

Nigeria know that all three points at the Brisbane Stadium on Monday night would guarantee their place in the round of last 16 in this World Cup where the African nation will be looking to emulate their previous best of reaching the quarter-final stage of this tournament this time around.

Nigeria's prospects certainly look promising as they have picked up four points from their opening two games in the group stage by way of a 0-0 draw with Canada which was followed up with an impressive 3-2 win against the co-hosts, Australia, which has now placed Randy Waldrum's side in a favourable position ahead of this final fixture.

Having previously slumped to an alarming seven defeats on the trot in all competitions from mid-July last year through to mid-February this year, Nigeria have since responded in positive fashion as they are unbeaten in their last five matches overall, picking up four wins in the process which includes earlier wins against Costa Rica, Haiti and New Zealand.

Republic of Ireland W v Nigeria W Verdict

These two nations have never faced each other before in any type of fixture previously but based on recent form, it's hard to ignore the fact that Nigeria look to possess the greater momentum heading into this vital clash along with plenty of incentive over the Irish.

Therefore, our main bet will be Nigeria win @ 2.15

Other side bets worth considering:

Over 2.5 goals @ 1.80

Correct score: Nigeria 2-1 @ 9.00