Australia vs Nigeria Prediction: The Super Falcons might pull a surprise stunt here

Three-time quarter-finalists will square off against the Super Falcons of Nigeria at the Suncorp Stadium on Thursday. The host nation picked up all the points over a strong Ireland team, while Nigeria stood their ground against Canada to share the spoils. The Super Falcons head here with the hope of securing their first three points of the tournament after their resilience display against the Canucks.

The host nation began their journey with a slim (1-0) victory over Ireland. Australia, who had made it out of the group phase over their previous four appearances, had to score from the spot to secure the maximum points against a defensive Republic of Ireland team. Australia created many scoring opportunities; however, the Republic of Ireland's defence was too strong for them to penetrate.

Australia must now win against the Super Eagles to stand a chance of qualifying for the knockout stages. Canada lead the group with four points from their last two games, while Matilda’s sit in the second spot on the log.

The Super Falcons head into this competition for the ninth consecutive season, and their best result was a quarter-final finish in 1999. They started their campaign in this tournament with a remarkable performance against Canada. After conceding a penalty in the 49th minute, the player of the match, Nnadozie, did well to deny all-time leading scorer Christine Sinclair the opportunity to score. Nigeria ensured they picked up a point in a fierce challenge encounter against Canada. Nigeria will have to find a way to get the ball into the net, as that has been their only issue in the history of this tournament.

Their only meeting was in a group game when Australia scored twice to defeat the Super Eagles. It’s evident that Australia missed the services of their captain Sam Kerr who’s recovering from a calf injury. Australia were not clinical enough despite having M. Flower and C. Foord up front. It’ll be interesting to see how they cope against the defensive partnership of Demehi and Ohale of the Super Eagles. The Super Falcons have failed to score in seventeen of their twenty-seven FIFA Women’s World Cup games, more often than any other team. Nigeria lacked the cutting edge against Canada, and although they were the second-class team, they had their chances but failed to utilise them. Going by both sides' opening game, it will be difficult to pick a winner here, even though the odds favour Australia. We expect another tough match, with both sides settling for a total of under 2.5 goals 1.75.

Australia should be wary of Roma Onumonu, who was influential for Nigeria against Canada. If the Matildas fail to pick up three points here, the group will be opened and decided on the last day. I believe the Super Falcons won’t bow to a defeat here; bet on an away win or draw for 2.88.

We also expect to see less than a goal in both halves for 1.89.

Good luck!