Striker Michelle Heyman to start for Matildas in quest for goals against Uzbekistan

The Matildas are in the box seat to qualify for the Olympic but the ever-attacking coach won’t be parking the defensive bus in Melbourne.

Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson says his players won’t be holding back against Uzbekistan. Picture: Tolib Kosimov/Getty Images

Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson is set to start veteran striker Michelle Heyman in a final audition for a fairytale Olympic squad berth as part of all-out attack on Uzbekistan despite being in prime position to head to Paris.

The Matildas are “not going to hold anything back” despite carrying a 3-0 lead into the final leg of the Olympic playoff, with 35-year-old Heyman, who scored in the first match in Tashkent, looking to get back to the Olympics five years after she walked away from international football.

Gustavsson said star forward Caitlin Foord was again set to play on managed minutes as he mulled over whether to start two false nines as he did in the first leg or deploy a genuine striker in Heyman.

The A-League Women all-time leading goal scorer changed the match for the Matildas when she entered the pitch in the 65th minute in Tashkent, sparking a chain of three goals in 13 minutes after the frustrated Aussies had failed to break through Uzbekistan’s defence.

Michelle Heyman scored for Australia in Uzbekistan. Picture: Tolib Kosimov/Getty Images

Gustavsson and Matildas captain Steph Catley said they were happy with the state of the Marvel Stadium pitch after pop star Pink’s run of concerts at the venue this month, but the Swede said he wanted the surface to be watered heavily before Wednesday night so the ball didn’t “stop in the pitch”, with the temperature forecast to rise as high as 36C hours before the game.

Gustavsson said the Matildas would continue to attack relentlessly despite their aggregate lead as he hoped a desperate Uzbekistan would be more open in defence as they chase a miracle minimum four goals to secure Olympic qualification.

“We are never going to change our attacking mindset, I tell you that … when we go out tomorrow, we’re going to be flying forward from second one,” Gustavsson said.

“We’re not going to hold anything back, we’re going to run in behind, we’re going to break lines, we’re going to regain the ball and attack, attack, attack.”

The coach said Foord could start but was unlikely to play the full 90 minutes after she came on at halftime for debutant Kaitlyn Torpey in Tashkent.

“Both (Foord and Heyman) are definitely options to start, especially considering Heyman’s performance when she came off the bench,” Gustavsson said.

“(With) Caitlin, we knew we had to adjust the load a little bit coming in – we’ll see in training today how she looks in terms of how many minutes and then whether you use those minutes from the start or in the second half.

“You might see a couple of rotations, but we also need to remember that I also think consistency and chemistry is key … we focus on one game, but it’s not just again to qualify, also to get minutes preparing for a potential Olympics as well.”

Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson says his side will ‘attack, attack, attack’. Picture: Tolib Kosimov/Getty Images

The squad will need to be cut from 23 to 18 for the Olympics due to stricter tournament rules, but Heyman could secure a berth as the only genuine No.9 option in the absence of injured captain Sam Kerr.

Catley and Gustavsson said they were determined to secure “something physical” for Australia’s golden generation in the form of an Olympic medal, but the coach said he already thought the side had been tremendously successful.

“I think there are different measures of success. I think even if we didn’t medal in the Olympics … the World Cup, I think it’s a success anyway because there’s a big why with this team, and that is to inspire a new generation of players and bring women’s football on the map for real. I think that is a success itself,” Gustavsson said to Catley.

“But when it comes to (a) medal, I really want that for the players … I want that for Steph, and I want that for the players, for them to get something tangible to have as theirs, so for that sake I’m really going to do everything in my power to help you get that because you deserve it.”

Originally published as Striker Michelle Heyman to start for Matildas in quest for goals against Uzbekistan