CommBank Matildas Head Coach Joe Montemurro emphasised the importance of taking on different styles of play as the team prepares to take on Haiti on Wednesday morning (AEDT).
The match will provide an opportunity for Montemurro to test different players and different styles in the face of a distinct footballing challenge.
"It's not so much about facing top ten sides; it's about facing different styles of football," he told the media on Monday.
"Germany was a perfect test for us from that perspective, and we've got a lot of information. Haiti will give us another, different test. We'll look at it from the perspective of what we need in terms of building that toolbox to know that we're prepared for the World Cup."
"They're very difficult to play. They've got some quality players, and they have some very, very good ideas. It's more about our mentality approaching these games. But it's also a good opportunity for me to try some new things."
He confirmed that the whole squad would be available, but that there would likely be rotation from the first game of the window against Germany.
"We're just going to do a little bit of fatigue management for some of the players who have played a lot of football with their clubs," he said.
"But everyone's smiling this morning at breakfast, and we're ready for the game."
He gave some insight into what the team needs to improve on for the second game of the window.
"There has to be a comfort in playing under pressure, and the only way we can do that is to face teams like Germany that were pressing with a top six, leaving a lot of space behind," he explained.
"A lot of our build-up from deep was to get it into that space as quickly as possible - but we had to prepare to get into that space. It's no good just getting in there for the sake of it. We saw some really positive signs. We did prepare. We did get into those areas, and for me, it's now about that next phase: how we're progressing from our low build-up into our middle and going forward.
"We can be a little bit more structured and prepared, and also a little bit creative. It's been my experience - when you're introducing an idea of a possession-based game - to be a little bit braver, to be a little bit more courageous, to believe that it's okay to try something, or be pulled out of position to make an attacking run. We can only do that by playing high-quality competition.
"Teams are most vulnerable when they are in their attacking third, and they are attacking. Germany are a top team in the counterattack. On three occasions, we lost our way in managing the players that were left from Germany while we were attacking. They're the areas we need to see improvement."
The game will be another exciting one as players continue to stake their claim for a spot at the FIFA Women's World Cup 2027.
"It's an exciting time that we're now looking at a whole scope of opportunities, a whole scope of combinations, a whole scope of different profiles, to make sure that we have the best squad ready for the World Cup," he said.
Next Game
Haiti v CommBank Matildas
Date: Tuesday, 13 October 2026 / Wednesday, 14 October 2026
Kick-off: 9.00pm CEST (Local) / 6.00am AEDT
Venue: Stade Walter-Luzi, Chambly, France
Broadcast: Paramount+
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