Tony Gustavsson | Pre-Match Press Conference | AUS v SWE

Australia and Sweden will continue their strong rivalry tomorrow when the CommBank Matildas host the reigning Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Olympic silver medallists at Melbourne’s AAMI Park.

Head Coach Tony Gustavsson was available to the media during a Pre-Match Press Conference to preview the match against World No.2, Sweden.

"The pre-training session today was gold standard, I just spoke to the team and told them that this is the standard that we want in training," Gustavsson said.

"Unfortunately, we had a couple of knocks in training today because of the intensity and the competition, so we have two question marks in the starting lineup for tomorrow, but that is what it is and we deal with it. Other than that the preparation has been really, really good."

With Elise-Kellond Knight making her return to international duty for the first time in two years, journalists were keen to hear whether she will make a start against Sweden.

"KK (Kellond-Knight) I've seen play live a lot and she's had a couple of 90 minutes and 45s and 60s and she's looking better and better," he said.

"As she says herself, she's just happy to be back in right now and it's a huge step into international football so we need to be calm and have low expectations. We are happy that she's back and she's coming back home and getting the minutes that she needs, but she is not where she was before she got injured. 

"The fact that she's back playing football is fantastic. Now it's that step from club to country. We'll see how long it takes before she is ready for international football."

After a successful October window where the CommBank Matildas emerged victorious over both South Africa and Denmark, Gustavsson was asked how the team plans to build momentum.

"Well, actually, I told the team yesterday that we're going to narrow down and have a little bit more continuity," he said.

"That doesn't mean spots are guaranteed, it's up to them now to show me they want to be part the World Cup roster and also if they want to be a starter or a game changer. So now there's competition. And I actually love that for all the investment that we've done for a very long time now in the depth of the roster.

"I think we've proven that we could beat, second-tier, third-tier teams but now it's the big test. Where are we against a top-ranked team, because we still have a lot of players unavailable, especially in the backline.

"There are two to three potential starters, that are not available, and we're going to play Sweden who smashed France 3-0. So it's going to be a tough test."

Saturday's match against Sweden will be broadcast live and free via Network 10 and 10 Play. The match will be simulcast on the 10 Play app and on Paramount+ for fans across Australia.  

SEVEN CONSULTING INTERNATIONAL SERIES

CommBank Matildas v Sweden
Date: Saturday, 12 November 2022
Venue: AAMI Park, Melbourne
Kick-Off: 2:45 pm AEDT
Broadcast: Network 10, 10 Play and Paramount+

CommBank Matildas v Thailand
Date: Tuesday, 15 November 2022
Location: Central Coast Stadium, Gosford
Kick-off: 7.30 pm AEDT
Broadcast: 10 Bold, 10 Play and Paramount+

Tickets: https://www.matildas.com.au/tickets