Australia will commence the April FIFA Women’s International Window against Scotland this Friday, taking on the FIFA-ranked 23rd side for the first time since 2015.
Let's analyse our upcoming opponents.
Scotland's 2023 Pinatar Cup run:
The February FIFA international window saw several tournaments take place all over the world, with Australia hosting the Cup of Nations, while Scotland took part in the Pinatar Cup in Spain.
Scotland's Pinatar Cup run had a mixed bag of results, picking up a win, a draw and a loss. The side was defeated in their opening game of the tournament, going down 2-0 to Iceland.
Goals to Lauren Davidson and Rachel Corsie saw the side collect a 2-1 victory over the Philippines. A 1-1 draw against Wales finished up their tournament, with Sophie Howard finding the back of the net for Scotland.
What you need to know about their squad:
Pedro Martínez Losa's side has seen a mix-up in his squad since their qualifying campaign for the FIFA Women’s World Cup™, some due to injury and others due to player retirement.
On the injured front, Sam Kerr's Chelsea teammate, and 58-capped midfielder Erin Cuthbert has been sidelined due to an injury sustained with the Blues.
Skipper Rachel Corsie is also missing from Losa's squad, with Scotland's captain also sustaining an injury at clubland that ruled her out of representing her country. Corsie brings a wealth of experience to the backline, with 140 appearances for Scotland. While, Jen Beattie, a fellow defender, announced her retirement from international football earlier this year.
WSL fans will notice a name notable name missing in the 24-player squad, with Mackenzie Arnold's West Ham United teammate Lisa Evans not selected in the team for the upcoming international friendlies.
What you need to know about our history:
Overall, the two teams have met 4 times in women’s football, with our last meeting in a friendly match in 2015 in the lead-up to the FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada.
Australia and Scotland have met on four previous occasions with a tied head-to-head (1-2-1). This will be the first meeting between the two nations under Gustavsson’s tenure.
The two sides last met in 2015, a friendly international that saw the CommBank Matildas bid farewell to retiring midfielder Collette McCallum in a 1-1 draw.
Australia struck first in the match with a goal from an unfamiliar source, defender Laura Brock (née Alleway) scoring her first international goal after 26 minutes only for Jane Ross to equalise for the hosts just before the hour mark.
Match Details:
CommBank Matildas v Scotland
Date: Fri, 7 April 2023
Venue: Cherry Red Records Stadium, London
Kick-Off: 1.15 pm (local) / 10.15 pm (AEST)
Broadcast: Network 10 and Paramount+
Tickets are available from here