Australia has named a strong squad for its two-match series against Brazil, as the Matildas get ready to play at home for the first time in over 600 days.
It will be their first match in Australia since early March 2020, when they hosted Vietnam in the first leg of their Olympics qualifying play-off, winning 5-0.
Emily van Egmond, Kyah Simon and Caitlin Foord all return to the fold, while several big names are sidelined due to injuries.
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Chloe Logarzo suffered an ACL tear in the Matildas’ loss to Ireland, while Elise Kellond-Knight, Hayley Raso and Emily Gielnik were also unavailable for selection.
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Western Sydney forward Bryleeh Henry has received her first call-up to the senior national team, as head coach Tony Gustavsson stressed that it was about preparation, not performance, with the Asian Cup just a few months away.
“I said that going into the September camp when we played against Ireland, we changed from ‘performance mode’ from the Olympics to ‘preparation mode’ [ahead of India 2022 and Australia/New Zealand 2023],” he said.
“That doesn’t mean that we are going to step on the field not trying to win – we are always going to try and win when we play every game – but we are not going to try and win at the expense of our preparations.
“We can’t shy away from tough challenges and tough games. We need to look at this as a long run towards the World Cup in ’23.”
The Matildas will be looking to arrest an awful run of form, winning just two of their eight fixtures since qualifying for the Olympics.
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“We are going to keep looking for new players, and either invite them to the training environment to see them there, or for some players that make a good impression in the training environment, also make sure that they get some game time,” Gustavsson said.
“It is all about now who can reach their full potential come ’23. It’s not just about who is the best, it is about who can become the best, so we are looking at ’23 in all the decisions that we are making right now,” he said.
The international members of the squad will arrive in Australia early next week.
Full squad: Mackenzie Arnold , Angela Beard, Ellie Carpenter, Steph Catley, Emma Checker, Kyra Cooney-Cross, Caitlin Foord, Mary Fowler, Charlotte Grant, Bryleeh Henry, Alanna Kennedy, Sam Kerr, Teagan Micah, Courtney Nevin, Clare Polkinghorne, Jamilla Rankin, Karly Roestbakken, Remy Siemsen, Kyah Simon, Emily van Egmond, Clare Wheeler, Lydia Williams, Tameka Yallop.
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