Matildas to play first match on home soil since the World Cup
In what will be a crucial part of their preparation for the Olympic qualifying tournament, the Matildas will return to Australian soil for the first time since the World Cup, taking on Chile in November.
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The Matildas will return to Australian soil for the first since the World Cup, taking on Chile at Bankwest Stadium in Parramatta in November.
The game, on Saturday November 9, will be the first leg of an Australian double header, with the two sides facing off again three days later in Adelaide at Hindmarsh Stadium.
The double fixtures will be a crucial part of coach Ante Milicic’s preparation for the Olympic qualifying tournament that runs in January and February, and will come five months after the team’s Round of 16 exit at the World Cup.
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The game will be the first football international at the new stadium and is likely to feature a full-strength Australian side ahead of the W-League season.
It’s also a chance to showcase a new world-class facility to the football’s powerbrokers as Australia bids to host the next Women’s World Cup in 2023.
The double-header is a repeat of the games against Chile last November that proved to be Alen Stajcic’s last in charge before he was dramatically sacked in January.
Australia slipped to a surprise 3-2 loss in the first game in Penrith before turning the tables with a 5-0 victory in Newcastle.
This year’s games will offer a barometer of Australia’s Olympic homes, facing a qualifying tournament in which they must finish in the top two in a group that will feature three of China, Chinese Taipei, Myanmar, North Korea, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam. Through that, they must win a playoff in order to claim one of the two qualifying spots available for the Tokyo Games.
Host Japan will occupy the third position that Asia normally has assigned to it.