Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson said he will have no hesitation starting striker Sam Kerr if she is fit, as the Matildas prepare for their World Cup quarter-final encounter with France on Saturday.
The team’s captain, Kerr, suffered a calf injury on the eve of the tournament and only returned in the final minutes of the Matildas’ round of 16 victory over Denmark. Given the success of Australia’s attacking quartet at the World Cup to date, there had been speculation over whether Kerr would start in the quarter-final.
But on Friday Gustavsson made it clear that Kerr would start if fit. The Matildas coach is due to make a final decision on his starting XI after receiving a medical briefing on Friday evening.
“If Sam is fit to play 90 minutes, she’s starting,” Gustavsson said. “There’s not even a question, and the team knows it. We’re talking about Sam Kerr here. Whether she is ready to play 90 minutes plus extra time, that’s to be decided tonight. But there is no question whatsoever that if she is, she’s starting.”
The full Matildas squad trained on Friday morning, although Kyah Simon – who is returning from a long-term ACL injury – only took part in some of the session. Gustavsson hinted that the experienced striker may be available off the bench or for a penalty shootout, if necessary against France.
“One thing this team have shown over the last half a year is that no matter what lineup we start with, or the lineup we finish with, they all know it takes 23 in 23,” he said.
“Meaning everyone is ready to step on and off if they need to. They have been amazing teammates supporting each other, there have been no complaints whatsoever in terms of who starts and comes off the bench. They know their role and they play their role.”
Gustavsson defended the limited minutes he has given to substitute players this tournament, amid concerns about the team’s depth and fitness if the quarter-final goes to extra-time. According to statistics provider Opta, the Matildas have given just 19 minutes a match to substitutes at the World Cup, fewer than any other team. Only 17 Matildas have seen action at the tournament, also the fewest of any team.
But the coach said he was “not at all” concerned that it could count against the Australians on Saturday. “The reason why is we’re extremely fit – we’ve shown that,” he said.
Gustavsson was joined by Matildas defender Ellie Carpenter, who plays with a number of French players at club Lyon. The wingback said although the Matildas’ pre-tournament warmup victory over France was “out the window” and the quarter-final would be a “completely different game”, she was confident the Australians could progress to the semi-finals for the first time.
“Tomorrow is probably one of the biggest games of our careers,” Carpenter said. “What better than doing it tomorrow in front of our country, our nation. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity for us. We couldn’t be more ready. We’re very excited. France are a world class opponent, we know their strengths, we know what they can do. But it’s a World Cup and anything can happen.”
Carpenter recalled watching the Matildas play as a child, with just 300 or so spectators in the stands. “That still [inspired] me to play for Australia,” she said. “I think now if I was a 12-year-old, in Stadium Australia or Suncorp, how amazing that is for young girls and young boys to see that. How far we’ve come is unimaginable.
“I’m so proud to be a part of this generation … Our job this World Cup was to inspire the next generation. And hearing how many people are watching our games, coming to our games, having live sites around Australia. They’re showing our game in four major stadiums tomorrow – that’s just incredible.”
Earlier on Friday, French coach Hervé Renard said his team’s group stage win over Brazil in Brisbane had helped prepare them to face the boisterous Australian crowd.
“We love it – this is why we do this job,” he said. “When we faced Brazil inside the same stadium, there was 95% or 98% Brazilians who were very noisy that night. However, our team had an amazing game. It will be the same characteristics tomorrow.”
Renard, who is only the second coach in history to manage teams at the men’s and women’s World Cup, hailed the success of the 2023 tournament. “This is the beauty of football,” he said. “The progression, the evolution of women’s football that has come to Australia. We need to congratulate the Australians – because it’s a success and tomorrow will be a beautiful occasion to celebrate.”
