Matildas to play reigning Olympic champions Canada in warm up for Paris

Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson will have a final chance to test his squad with a pre-Olympics clash locked in against Canada.

Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson will have one last chance to fine tune his squad ahead of the Paris Games – with a friendly against reigning Olympics champions Canada locked in.

The two sides will face off in Marbell, in Spain, where both teams are based for their pre-Olympics camp, on July 14 (AEST).

It will be Gustavsson’s last opportunity to see his team in a competitive environment before the head to Marsielle for the Olympics.

The two teams faced off in a friendly during the December FIFA window.

Gustavsson played a fairly experimental side – with Canada winning the first match 5-0.

Even the stronger Matildas side struggled against Canada – going down 1-0 in the second clash.

Matildas did get the better of Canada at last year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup beating them 4-0 in the early stages of the competition.

The Matildas and Canada clashed twice last year. Picture: Mark Avellino/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Exactly what Gustavsson hopes to get out of this clash remains to be seen.

“Taking on a nation with the Olympic calibre of Canada will be a great analysis opportunity for us less than two weeks out from our opening match of Paris,” Gustavsson said.

“Canada are a unique opponent as not only does their squad feature world class players, as a team they also have several attributes in terms of their playing style that mirrors what we will come up against in our group stage competitors.

“With the fixture taking place following two weeks of an intensive training block, the match will allow us to continue building and testing playing partnerships and firming new dimensions to our own game plan.”

Fans will be eagerly watching to see if injured midfielder Katrina Gorry gets on the pitch. The West Ham player hasn’t played a minute since injury her ankle, which later required surgery, in April.

The match will kick off on July 14 at 5am (AEST) and be broadcast on Paramount+.

Matildas will launch their Olympic campaign against Germany at Stade de Marseille on July 26 (AEST).

Originally published as Matildas to play reigning Olympic champions Canada in warm up for Paris