By Ian Ransom
MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Australia coach Tony Gustavsson expects to field his Women’s World Cup lineup against France when the teams meet in a sell-out friendly in Melbourne on Friday.
The Swede said some players would be on limited minutes, and forward Kyah Simon would probably not feature as she recovers from a serious knee injury, but the ‘Matildas’ will otherwise be near full strength at the Docklands stadium.
Australia, co-hosting the World Cup with New Zealand, kick off their Group B campaign against Ireland in Sydney in a week before playing Nigeria and Canada.
“I think it will be a good indicator of a starting lineup but also a finishing lineup,” Gustavsson told reporters at a press conference on Thursday.
“The one thing that will be different is because it’s a send-off game and the last friendly before the World Cup I’m also going to consider any niggles and minutes played because it’s all about the Ireland game.”
Some of the players managing injuries include defenders Clare Polkinghorne and Alanna Kennedy, and forward Mary Fowler.
The match will be played in front of a sell-out crowd of more than 50,000, which will be an Australian record attendance for a women’s soccer game, organisers said on Thursday.
That record will last only a week, with more than 80,000 expected for the Ireland opener.
Gustavsson said the match would not just be a tune-up for the World Cup but also a celebration of how far the women’s game has come in Australia.
“Everything to celebrate the culture that this team stands for,” said Gustavsson.
“It doesn’t mean we don’t want to perform well but it’s a very different perspective going into the game tomorrow.”
Gustavsson said France had been impressive under new coach Herve Renard and would be a formidable opponent.
“I think they’re going to be very dangerous at this World Cup,” he said.
(Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
