It is crunch time at the Women's World Cup with the semi-finals starting this week and on Wednesday tournament co-hosts Australia are in action against Euro 2022 winners England.

Liam Flin's Australia v England betting tips

Draw @ 21/10  

Under 0.5 first-half goals @ 5/4  

Sam Kerr to score at anytime @ 9/4  

Odds displayed were correct at the time of writing and subject to fluctuation.

Setting the scene….

A first Women's World Cup title beckons for England, but standing in their way in the semi-finals are tournament co-hosts Australia.

This is the third consecutive Women's World Cup in which the Lionesses have made the last four and they will hope they can draw inspiration from last year's Euro 2022 triumph.

But with a jubilant and energetic Sydney crowd behind them, Australia will be a tough nut to crack.

The Matildas have taken down Denmark and France in the knockout stage, while England followed their penalty shootout win over Nigeria with a 2-1 victory against Colombia.

What	Australia Women v England Women
Where	Stadium Australia, Sydney
When	11:00, Wednesday 16th August, 2023
How to watch	BBC One
Odds	Australia Women 12/5, Draw 21/10, England Women 13/10

Draw @ 21/10

While giants such as the USA and Germany have fallen, England have continued to make slow and steady progress down under and are on the brink of their first ever Women's World Cup final.

Fans cannot have many complaints about their results - their five matches have yielded four wins and a draw - but with the exception of their 6-1 thrashing of China, performances have been lacking.

Going forward, England have struggled in the absence of Beth Mead, while Lauren James's absence does not help matters and they were a touch fortunate with both goals against Colombia last time out.

They have still lost just the one match under head coach Wiegman, but that did come against Australia in a friendly earlier this year and that could be playing on the minds of the players heading into this match.

Liam Flin's Tip:

On paper, England have the better squad out of these two nations and they also have the edge when it comes to big tournament experience.

But Wiegman's side have not looked particularly convincing and Australia have the physicality and organisation at the back to disrupt the Lionesses going forward, while home advantage could also be key.

Back the draw.

Under 0.5 first-half goals @ 5/4

Sticking to the theme of this being a tight game, punters should also expect a dearth of goals in this Sydney semi-final.

Coming into this tournament, England had scored only one goal across their three internationals in 2023 - that came in the Women's Finalissima against Brazil in April - and that trend has carried into the Women's World Cup.

They scored only two goals across their first two group matches with Haiti and Denmark, before letting loose in a 6-1 drubbing against China.

But the goalscoring issues continued against Nigeria in the last 16 as England failed to find the net in 120 minutes.

They have, however, managed to compensate with some sturdy performances at the back, having conceded only once in open play all tournament.

Liam Flin's Tip: 

Given England's struggles in the final third and discipline at the back, a low-scoring game looks likely. 

The Matildas have been lively throughout but had to play with backs to the wall at times against France themselves and this could be a slow-burner, so back under 0.5 goals in the first half.

Sam Kerr to score at anytime @ 9/4

Goals could be at a premium in this match, but if one player is going to make an impact it will likely be Sam Kerr.

Injury has limited the Chelsea forward to the bench for this tournament, but she is in line to start against England and can mark the occasion by getting on the scoresheet.

Liam Flin's Tips

Kerr scored a respectable 12 goals in the Women's Super League last season, but knows what it takes to score when it matters, having bagged the winner for Chelsea in last season's Women's FA Cup final.

With the nation behind her, she will be eager to make the most of being back in the starting lineup and represents value at 9/4 to score at any time in Sydney.

Liam Flin's Australia v England betting tips

Draw @ 21/10 

Under 0.5 first-half goals @ 5/4 

Sam Kerr to score at anytime @ 9/4 

Odds displayed were correct at the time of writing and subject to fluctuation.