Denmark Women and China PR Women will get their 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup campaign underway when they square off at Perth Rectangular Stadium on Saturday.
With the reigning European champions England favorites to top this group comfortably and Haiti given little chance of causing an upset, this clash will go a long way towards determining who will qualify for the knockout rounds from Group D, and is potentially a straight shootout for second qualifying spot between these two nations.
The Danes, who currently hold the 15th spot in FIFA's world ranking, one place ahead of China, are playing their first World Cup after a hiatus since 2007 and cruised through their qualification campaign, winning all eight matches, scoring 40 times and only conceding twice.
The Red and White are coming into the tournament off the back of a 2-0 pre-tournament friendly loss to Spain a fortnight ago, and will be eager to get a headstart in Group D with a positive result in the group opener.
However, they come up against a Chinese side who have a wealth of experience in the Women's World Cup, having qualified for the finals on eight of the nine times it has been held.
The Steel Roses booked their spot in Australia and New Zealand thanks to their resounding success in the 2022 AFC Asian Cup, where they secured a dramatic 3-2 comeback win over Korea Republic in the final.
They played out a 2-2 friendly draw against Colombia last week in the build-up to this encounter against Denmark, and will be looking to strike first blood in Group D.
Here GOAL brings you everything you need to know about how to watch, including TV channel, streaming details and more.
Denmark vs China PR kick-off time
| Date: | July 22, 2023 |
| Kick-off time: | 8 a.m. ET/ 1 pm BST |
| Venue: | Perth Rectangular Stadium |
The Women's World Cup 2023 Group D clash between Denmark and China will be played at the Perth Rectangular Stadium on Saturday, July 22. The kick-off is at 8 am. ET for fans in the US, and 1 pm BST for fans in the UK.
How to watch Denmark vs China PR online - TV channels & live streams
The Denmark vs China Women's World Cup 2023 fixture will be shown live on fuboTV, FOX and Sling TV in the United States. The game can be streamed live on Peacock. Match highlights will be shown after the full-time whistle and live updates can be accessed here on GOAL.
Team news & squads
Denmark team news
Midfielder Sofie Junge Pedersen picked up an injury on the eve of the tournament, which is a big blow. Nadia Nadim also failed to recover in time to make the cut. The Red and White will also miss Hacken striker Stine Larsen after she sustained an ACL injury in April.
Former Chelsea star Pernille Harder, who signed for Bayern Munich in the off-season, stands out as their star player. She has largely endured an injury-hit campaign, but enters the tournament in great form, with a seven-goal contribution in her final eight games for the Blues since returning in April.
Spearheading the attack will be prolific attacker Signe Bruun, who scored 13 goals in seven WC qualification games including five in an 8-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina. She will be hoping to make a similar impact in the finals.
Denmark Women possible XI: Christensen; Sevecke, Ballisager, Boye, Veje; Hasbo, Holmgaard, Kuhl; Thomsen, Sorensen, Harder.
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers: | Christensen, Larsen, Ostergaard |
| Defenders: | S. Sorensen, Gevitz, B. Pedersen, Sevecke, Svava, Thorgersen, Veje |
| Midfielders: | Hasbo, Kuhl, Thomsen, Holmgaard, J. Pedersen, N. Sorensen, Snerle, Nielsen |
| Forwards: | Bruun, Gejl, Harder, Madsen, Vangsgaard |
China PR team news
With a blend of youth and experience, China's squad boast plenty of attacking firepower, notably their strike duo of captain Wang Shanshan and Wang Shuang. The latter has been scoring goals for fun at NWSL side Racing Louisville this season, and will be looking to make an impact in this match.
Zhang Rui should partner with Gu Yasha and Yang Lina for a solid midfield trio. Additionally, 22-year-old creative midfielder Zhang Linyan, who was named the Swiss Women's Super League Player of the Year last season, is one of the rising stars, and will be looking to make an impact off the bench here.
China PR Women possible XI: Huan; Mengwen, Haiyan, Chen, Qiaozhu; Rui, Jiahui, Yasha, Yang Lina; Shanshan, Shuang.
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers: | Hongyan, Huan, Yu |
| Defenders: | Chen, Haiyan, Jiaxing, Linlin, Mengwen, Qiaozhu, Wei |
| Midfielders: | Chengshu, Lina, Lingwei, Linyan, Mengyu, Rui, Xin, Yasha |
| Forwards: | Jiahui, Jiali, Shanshan, Shuang, Yuyi |
Head-to-Head Record
Denmark have won three of the last three meetings against China. These two teams last met back in 2019 in the Algarve Cup and Denmark won that game by scoring one goal. Intriguingly, both teams were in the same group during the 2007 Women's World Cup and China won that game 3-2.
| Date | Match | Competition |
|---|---|---|
| 4/3/19 | Denmark 1-0 China | Algarve Cup Women |
| 12/2/14 | China 1-1 Denmark | Algarve Cup Women |
| 2/3/11 | China 0-1 Denmark | Algarve Cup Women |
| 26/2/10 | Denmark 2-0 China | Algarve Cup Women |