Expect the unexpected: Coach hints at surprise Matildas line-up
Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson has hinted that there could be some unexpected names in the starting line up for the first leg against Uzbekistan in a bid to manage player fatigue.
Gustavsson dubbed the first leg of the final Olympic qualifiers as “extremely important” but said so was managing player welfare.
The 23 women in the camp have all come from a range of domestic competitions – some midway through season, some in their off-season and others in pre-season.
Adding to the juggle is players like Alanna Kennedy who have only recently returned from injury or Arsenal midfielder Kyra Cooney-Cross who has had limited minutes in the top flight English league.
Caitlin Foord has played more than 1000 minutes of football for Arsenal this season, while Mary Fowler has played just a touch over 500 minutes.
World Cup defensive star Clare Hunt could be one of the overloaded players - spending 1200 minutes on the field for PSG across their domestic competition and the Champions League. While fellow defender Clare Polkinghorne hasn’t played since the Swedish league wrapped up in November.
In his pre-match press conference Gustavsson, who didn’t want to reveal his starting 11, hinted that some of the decisions were out of his hands and based on recommendations from the medical staff.
“We came in with a lot of challenges this camp, some players were coming in with a lot of game time with fatigue and niggles, some players coming in with very little game time and underloaded,” he said.
“So it was important for us to find the right sweet spot in terms of training load and make sure the ones that came in with some fatigue and niggles are fresh on Saturday.
“Without revealing the line-ups there are a couple of players that came in
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