WWC England v Nigeria: Match preview, what to expect, team news, key players, kickoff time

Nigeria will square up against England in the round of 16 of the FIFA Women's World Cup tomorrow.

The West African side finished second in Group B while the European champions finished first in Group D to qualify for this round.

This is the third time that Nigeria will qualify for the knockout phases, with the first being in 1999 and the other being in 2019 which was the last edition.

England's record at the tournament is impeccable so far, having won all their group games.

The Lionesses will be hoping to advance to the next round and continue nursing the hope of making it back-to-back wins at major tournaments having won the European Championship last year 

Match preview

The only previous encounter between both sides at the World Cup was in 1995 where the Lionesses won 3-2 in the group stage.

England will head into the game as the favourite being the team with better form and vast superior quality.

They will be boosted by the return of Keira Walsh and that would make Randy Waldrum's side more difficult.

However, the record African champions have shown in previous games that they won't just sit back against superior opposition.

 They will try to limit the chances of the European champions and will also create chances of their own.

What to expect

The Lionesses are expected to dominate the encounter and make good use of the flanks.

Sarina Wiegman deployed a 3-5-2 formation against China which brought the best of their fullbacks and most especially Lauren James.

As seen in the group stage, the African ladies are expected to stick to their 4-2-3-1 formation, stay compact and pose a threat from counterattacks and set pieces.

Team news

Randy Waldrum will still be without influential midfielder Deborah Abiodun as her red card in the opening match earned her a three-match ban after further review. 

In the team's final training session, skipper Onome Obi trained alone for the first fifteen minutes of the workout and it is unclear if it has to do with a coaching decision or something to do with her fitness. 

The Super Falcons coach said at the pre-match press conference that he has 'everybody' available for selection, including Desire Oparanozie, who picked up an injury during the pre-tournament training camp. Barcelona striker Asisat Oshoala has also been passed fit. 

As for England, Keira Walsh has not suffered a ligament injury and was involved in the Lionesses final training session, which puts her in contention to be involved in some capacity against the Super Falcons. 

Key players 

1. Ashleigh Plumptre (Nigeria): Predominantly a centre-back, she features as a left-back for Nigeria and has played in all of their games so far.

Having played for England at youth level, her familiarity with some of the English ladies could prove pivotal tomorrow.

2. Christy Ucheibe (Nigeria): The Benfica sensation was the stat leader for tackles in the group stage with eighteen posted. 

The Super Falcons will need Ucheibe and her midfield partner, Halimatu Ayinde to be at their best for his side to stand a chance of getting past the Europeans.

3. Lauren James (England): The Chelsea forward was used behind the strikers in the 6-1 thrashing of China and registered 5 goal contributions.

Drifting in between pockets of spaces in the attacking third, she is the most dangerous player among the Lionesses players. 

4. Keira Walsh (England): The Barcelona midfielder got injured against Denmark but has been declared fit for tomorrow's encounter.

Whether used from the start of the game or as a substitute, she is going to pose a threat whenever she is on the pitch.
 

Kickoff time and venue

The match will take place at the Brisbane Stadium in Australia, and is expected to start at 08:30 am Nigerian time.

Abdulkareem Abdulhamid

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