The Matildas are two games away from a place at the Paris Olympics and another shot at a gold medal, but in Uzbekistan they face a relatively unknown quantity that presents a “different challenge” to Tony Gustavsson’s side.
The heavily fancied Australians take on the team ranked No 47 in the world over two legs – in Tashkent on Saturday and next week at a sold-out Marvel stadium in Melbourne – in a final qualifying playoff that will determine their Olympic fate.
