What time is England vs Nigeria Women's World Cup match? Start time for Lionesses Round of 16 game – Sporting News
England head into their Round of 16 clash against Nigeria as favourites to progress to the quarterfinals for the third time in a row and live up to their tag as the new favourites to win the Women’s World Cup.
It took them a while to get going in an attacking sense, but they sent a message to the rest of the tournament in their 6-1 win over China, with Lauren James stealing the show with a blistering performance.
It will not be a walkover for the Lionesses against a Nigeria side that defeated co-hosts Australia 3-2 and also managed to hold Olympic champions Canada to a draw.
England could easily fall victim to another upset if they take their opposition too lightly, as the African side has proven they are a difficult team to beat as they didn’t lose a match during the group stages.
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England’s clash against Nigeria will kick off at 5:30 p.m. local time at Brisbane Stadium on August 7.
The match will be kicking off in the early morning in the UK, with the 8:30 a.m. BST start time potentially seeing some people call in sick from work to watch their beloved Lionesses in action.
England’s Round of 16 clash against Nigeria will be available to watch in all regions of the world, with football fans wanting to tune in to see one of the top sides at the tournament.
The match will be broadcast on BBC One in the UK, with a large audience expected to tune in to the game.
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England, who are already missing the likes of Leah Williamson and Fran Kirby due to knee injuries suffered before the tournament began, were given an almighty scare in their second group match when star midfielder Keira Walsh appeared to suffer a serious knee injury against Denmark.
However, subsequent tests revealed the injury was less severe than first thought, meaning there is a good chance she will be fit for the Round of 16 encounter after missing the win over China, with Laura Coombs and Katie Zelem replacing her in the final two matches.
Lauren James has been outstanding going forward for England, scoring a beauty against Denmark as well as producing a player-of-the-match performance against China, where she scored twice and got three assists.
Sarina Wiegman has opted for both a back three and a back four at the tournament, using a 4-3-3 formation in the opening two matches before reverting to a 3-4-1-2 against China, with Alex Greenwood, Millie Bright and Jessica Carter at the centre-back positions.
England projected starting lineup (4-3-3): Earps (GK) — Bronze, Bright, Greenwood, Daly — Stanway, Walsh, Toone — Kelly, Russo, James
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Nigeria have kept a back four for their entire campaign, but coach Randy Waldrum used some experimentation throughout the group stage.
He notably chose to drop star striker Asisat Oshoala to the bench in their game against Australia and the move paid off, as she came on in the second half to score the third goal that would ultimately secure victory.
Halimatu Ayinde also came into the midfield after Deborah Abiodun was sent off in the opening match against Canada, and she has managed to keep her spot and should start against the Lionesses.
Their back line has remained the same, with Michelle Alozie, Osinachi Ohale, Oluwatosin Demehin and Ashleigh Plumptre keeping two clean sheets in the group stages.
Nigeria projected starting lineup (4-3-3): Nnadozie (GK) — Alozie, Ohale, Demehin, Plumptre — Ucheibe, Ayinde, Payne — Ajibade, Oshoala, Kanu
Patrick is a freelance journalist who is currently based in Sydney, and primarily covers football for The Sporting News.
