England vs Haiti Preview: Our writers predictions for the Lionesses opening World Cup 2023 game

After weeks of waiting, Sarina Wiegman and the Lionesses will finally get their much anticipated World Cup campaign underway in Australia and New Zealand as they take on Haiti in their opening game this Saturday.

Drawn in Group D of the tournament, the European Champions will also face Denmark and China as they look to progress to the knockout stages of the tournament and push onwards to glory.

There's plenty of talking points still to come before the game even kicks off too. Will Wiegman go for the power of Alessia Russo up-top or opt for the goal-scoring prowess of Rachel Daly? Who takes the left back spot between Chelsea team mates Jess Carter and Niamh Charles?

However England line-up for Saturday's 10:30am BST kick-off against Haiti, it is a game that will have the eyes of a nation on it as the country looks to see how this all conquering Lionesses side will fare in the opening throws of the competition.

Our women's sports writers Graham Falk, Susanna Sealy and Georgia Goulding give their thoughts and predictions ahead of the game.

Georgia Goulding

As they enter their maiden World Cup, there is little to no expectation for Haiti to go out and smash every opposition they come up against. The pressure is high on England's European champions though, and they will see this fixture as a must-win.

It's still uncertain who Sarina will opt to start up front, but she's not short on options by any means, and every attacker on that roster is capable of putting in a masterclass performance. England should punch their first win of the tournament with relative ease, but respect must be shown to debutants Haiti.

Georgia's score prediction: Hard not to see this as a big opportunity for the Lionesses and I think they'll come away with a statement win, particularly based on Haiti's recent record. I'm going with a 4-0 opening win for England with Alessia Russo and Lauren Hemp on the scoresheet.

Graham Falk

Don't ask me why, but I have some trepidation about this game. England haven't scored in their last two games and I have been worried about the loss of Fran Kirby and her experience and creativity for weeks now.

In Melchie Dumornay, Haiti have arguably the most exciting teenage talent on the globe right now and Haiti are going to want to put on a show in their World Cup debut. That said, I am often the pessimist when it comes to football and Sarina always has a plan, while our forward options are probably the strongest in the tournament. How many teams can boast Alessia Russo, Rachel Daly, Chloe Kelly, Lauren Hemp, Lauren James and Beth England as choices?

I think it will be really nervy but that we should be able to pass the test with a professional performance.

Graham's score prediction: I'm going for a 2-0 win for the Lionesses but I think it will be much tighter than some expect. I'll tip Georgia Stanway to open the scoring from the spot before Rachel Daly seals it late on.

Susanna Sealy

While the men's team demolish recent opposition in June, a complete North Macedonia-esque domination of Haiti is probably unlikely as we watch England’s Lionesses take on the Caribbean outfit in their opening World Cup match.

A year ago this might have been the case but England’s last few competitive fixtures have been much more closely fought than Lioness fans might have hoped for with the side also suffering their first loss under Sarina Wiegman when they faced Australia recently.

A loss against Haiti is inconceivable but I do imagine it will be a much more fraught contest than one might expect, not least because Haiti will have the excitement of playing in their first ever World Cup match.

Susanna's score prediction: I predict a 3-0 England win over Haiti with both Alessia Russo and Rachel Daly on the score-sheet - the former likely to be substituted for the other.