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Women's World Cup: Russia host Ireland in vital qualifier
Group 6 of the European qualifiers for the next Women's World Cup may be one of the most difficult to predict, but Russia could certainly make a big difference with a good result against Ireland on Sunday.
The Russians bowed out of last month's European Championships following a disappointing group phase, but will be motivated to make amends in this qualifying campaign.
The start has been positive for Russia, with a 1-2 victory in and against Switzerland, a potential dark horse in this group.
There is some bad news for Russia ahead of this game, as goalkeeper Elvira Todya damaged her knee ligament and is recovering from the subsequent surgery.
Ireland failed to qualify for this year's European Championships, losing to Iceland in the qualifying play-off. The opening qualifier with Switzerland didn't look promising either as it ended in a 2-0 defeat in the town of Niedermatten.
But Ireland went on to beat Kazakhstan 2-1 and realize that a win over Russia, though against the odds, could well improve their chances in this group. However, a second defeat may mean an early end to their ambitions. As such, pressure will be mostly on the visiting side in this game.
It is the second consecutive time that these two teams meet in World Cup qualifying. Ahead of the last tournament, Russia won the home match 5-1 and added a 0-2 victory in the away game.
The match is to be played at Krasnoarmeysk's Rossijanka stadium and starts at 13:00 Central European Time, 15:00 local time.
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