As things stand, Canada are in pole position to secure qualification from Group A. The hosts currently sit on top of their quartet with four points and are guaranteed a spot in the knock-out rounds; however, as to whom they will face off and whether they have to do it via a play-off will all depend on their performance against the Netherlands tomorrow evening.
Simply put, John Herdman's squad have not been impressive in their first two games. They huffed and puffed against a staunchly defensive Chinese outfit and had to wait till injury time to secure all three points thanks to captain Christine Sinclair's penalty. Next up was New Zealand, which pitted Herdman against his former team that ended as a frustrating 0-0 stalemate and two points dropped that would have secured their automatic spot in the round of 16.
This is not something that was lost on the players, with defender Marie-Eve Nault offering a brutally honest assessment of her colleague's showings in their first two games:
"There's no question we'd prefer to have six points right now," the veteran, who was part of Canada's bronze-winning squad at the 2012 Olympics noted following the scoreless draw with New Zealand.
"We've been a bit lucky because in our first game we got a late goal on a penalty. But we've learned a few things in the first two games. We had [some] good chances but unfortunately, we weren't opportunistic. That's what we need to work on for the next game [against the Netherlands]."
Meanwhile, Holland are making their first ever WWC appearance and despite experiencing disappointment by losing to China, they are still in the running not just to qualify but could even top their group by shocking this summer's hosts. Were that to happen, Canada would have to face a team like Japan - who have shown that they are not just a one-hit wonder by already securing their spot in the final 16 - or Germany.
A draw would also keep the debutants in the running to make the knock-out rounds and although they have scored just one goal so far, Holland's ladies boast quite a few exciting prospects keen on making a splash on the bigger stage.
A loss, however, means that the Oranje could face an early exit, depending on how New Zealand fares against China. Canada do hold the historical advantage in this tie with eight wins and just one draw from back in 1988, but have yet to lose against the Netherlands. Yet despite this being unfamiliar territory for Roger Reijners's team, the two sides are only divided by four slots in terms of world rankings - Canada is 8th whilst the Netherlands are 12th.
Canada will be feeling the pressure ten-fold, more so than their opponents, but the Netherlands will be keen on showing the world their class and rebounding from that frustrating game against the Chinese. Make sure you tune in to this final Group A clash between the Netherlands and Canada by bookmarking our special Group A page for all broadcast information for your timezone and location.
Match details, result and original broadcast info
This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
Follow the game on-the-go
Download our iOS and Android apps to follow soccer on-the-go. It comes packed with features - live scores, fixtures, results, tables, line-ups, stats, TV schedule and much more! Sorry, no live streaming within the app.
