CommBank Matildas Head Coach Joe Montemurro said that taking on New Zealand in the upcoming friendly series will be a "really good challenge" as Australia prepares for the AFC Women's Asian Cup™ next year.
Montemurro was speaking to media in Gosford where the team is training ahead of game one at Polytec Stadium on Friday evening.
"We are preparing for what we believe are going to be situations at the Asian Cup," he explained.
"New Zealand will be a really good challenge for us, because they're a team that will press high. They will put us under pressure, and we expect a lot of teams at the Asian Cup to come out and try to get us... So, simulating these situations is really important in these two games."
Montemurro provided a fitness update for captain Sam Kerr.
"She's tracking really, really well," he said.
"The rest she had when she was at Chelsea was all pre-planned, and coming into this camp is also pre-planned, so we know exactly what we need to do. She's doing really well, and we just need to make sure her recovery is done properly."
In terms of reintegrating players into the team after long injuries, Montemurro gave some insights about his player-first approach.
"I always leave it up to the player," he revealed.
"Every player in the team knows their body better than anyone else, and knows where they want to be. We give them all the right advice. We have all the right people and all the right information on each player.
"Coming back from injury and reintegrating into a group is really important. Sometimes it might just be a psychological thing. It just might be, 'I think I need minutes to get my confidence up' - and off we go.
"Every player is in the same scenario in terms of whether they feel like they can play 20 minutes, or 50 minutes a game. They all want to play, obviously. But sometimes we have to be sensible, and the top pros are usually sensible."
He wasn't yet sure of the Starting XI for tomorrow's fixture and didn't leave any hints as to who might be selected.
"I haven't even thought about the Starting XI, I'll be honest with you," he said.
"We'll just see. We've got a few players that have just come off flights and are being managed, and so on. But we'll put out two very good teams over the next two weeks."
In terms of the squad itself, Montemurro emphasised stability, with limited time remaining until the Asian Cup next year.
"With the limited time I've got, I've had to find a level of stability - so I can get messages across [to the players] with stability - but also still look at some elements that we could need for the Asian Cup", he explained.
"We've got three months when they go back to their clubs, so that's going to be vital. A lot of them are going into some big scenarios before Christmas. So there will be some things I'll look at, and some little tweaks that I'll make in these next two games."
There is a weight of expectation on the squad as they host a second major tournament on home soil in less than three years.
Montemurro said that the players relished the pressure.
"I think now, with a lot of the players playing in the big tournaments and in the big leagues, they actually thrive on that pressure. They love that pressure," he said.
"I always say that the pressure is there, and when you're at the top level of your game, that's normal. When you're at the top, you're going to get scrutinised. You're going to get high levels of pressure because you are at the top.
"A lot of our players in the top clubs overseas are really understanding of that. I feel a real comfort in knowing that they're looking forward to being part of that pressure."
COMMBANK MATILDAS | MATCH DETAILS
CommBank Matildas v New Zealand
Date: Friday, 28 November 2025
Kick-off: 7.30pm AEDT
Venue: Polytec Stadium, Gosford
Broadcast: Paramount+
Tickets: Buy Tickets
CommBank Matildas v New Zealand
Date: Tuesday, 2 December 2025
Kick-off: 8pm ACDT
Venue: Coopers Stadium, Adelaide
Broadcast: Network 10, 10 Play and Paramount+
Tickets: Buy Tickets