Matildas Abroad Preview: Perth International Football Cup finals; NWSL continues

The final games of the Perth International Football Cup will take place on Sunday as WSL clubs continue their pre-season.

Meanwhile, competitive games continue in the United States, Sweden and Denmark.

Read our preview of all of the action this weekend below.

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Perth International Football Cup

HBF Park in Perth will play host to a blockbuster doubleheader on Sunday.

Leicester City will take on West Ham at 2.05pm AWST (4.05pm AEST) in the 3rd place play-off. Both sides were highly competitive against more-fancied opposition throughout the week, and they will hope to finish their Australian tour on a high.

Courtney Nevin was unavailable for the match midweek but will hope to appear on Sunday for Leicester. Meanwhile, Katrina Gorry will be available for West Ham.

Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City will face off to determine who takes home bragging rights at 5.05pm AWST (7.05pm AEST). While ultimately still a friendly, the match could be a preview of a UEFA Women’s Champions League tie later in the season, so both teams will be keen to lay down a marker for what is to come.

Mary Fowler and Alanna Kennedy will be available for Manchester City.

If you’re in Perth, you can buy tickets to catch our Matildas Abroad at home here. You can also watch the games live and on-demand on Optus Sport.

United States

The Portland Thorns host Bay FC on Saturday, 12pm AEST. The Thorns will be hoping to bounce back after a disappointing loss last week to keep in touch with the teams in the top four. Mackenzie Arnold was on the substitutes bench last game and will be hoping to make her debut this time around.

Cortnee Vine will hope to replicate her impressive debut last week for the Courage when she plays her first home game as North Carolina takes on the Kansas City Current on Monday at 4:00am AEST. 

Courage will be hoping to reset after falling to a stoppage-time goal against the Reign last time out, while Current comes into the game off the back of a 4-1 loss to Washington Spirit. 

North Carolina Courage at Seattle Reign FC Aug 25, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Reign FC defender Shae Holmes (25) and North Carolina Courage forward Cortnee Vine (22) battle for the ball during the second half at Lumen Field. Seattle Lumen Field Washington USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xStephenxBrashearx

San Diego Wave hosts Washington Spirit on Monday, 10am AEST. The Wave will be looking for three points to try to close the gap between themselves and the teams in the top eight, taking on a Spirit side in second place and welcoming back their Olympic Gold Medal stars. Emily van Egmond will be available for the Wave, while Kaitlyn Torpey will be hoping to retake her position on the bench after injury kept her out of the match-day squad last week.

You can catch all of the NWSL action live and on-demand on Optus Sport.

Sweden

AIK Fotboll will be up against it when they take on FC Rosengård on Saturday, 9pm AEST. Rosengård are currently sporting a perfect record of 16 wins from 16 matches in the Damallsvenskan, while AIK are languishing in the relegation zone. If AIK are to pull off an unlikely result, Jada Whyman will be expecting to be in the centre of the action in goals.

BK Häcken travel to take on Piteå IF on Saturday, 11pm AEST. Häcken has now fallen to third place, equal on points with Hammarby, and will be hoping for three points to solidify their place in the UEFA Women’s Champions League spots.

Kristianstads DFF host KIF Örebro DFF on Sunday, 9pm AEST. Kristianstads have had a tough run of form and will be hoping a match against relegation battlers Örebro can help turn their season around as the final stretch approaches. Remy Siemsen and Clare Polkinghorne will be available for Kristianstads while Amy Sayer continues her ACL rehabilitation.

Denmark

FC Nordsjælland defeated Brondby IF 3-2 on Friday (AEST), continuing their form on top of their ladder. Their early game was a result of preparing for their all-important UEFA Women’s Champions League tie against Benfica on Thursday, 1am AEST. Winonah Heatley started in their league win and is expected to be central to their efforts to qualify for the group stage of the competition.

You can catch the UEFA Women’s Champions League via DAZN.

Netherlands

Daniela Galic’s FC Twente will also be looking ahead to UEFA Women’s Champions League qualification, preparing to take on Cardiff City from Wales on Thursday, 3am AEST. If she makes it onto the park, it will mark Galic’s first competitive appearance for an overseas club.

You can catch the UEFA Women’s Champions League via DAZN.