Kellond-Knight hails Westfield Matildas' depth ahead of Asian Cup Semi-Final

Elise Kellond-Knight isn’t used to sitting on the bench.

But having started all seven of the Westfield Matildas’ games in 2018, the 93-cap veteran was an unused substitute in Australia’s last game, a 1-1 draw with Japan in their final group game at the 2018 AFC Women’s Asian Cup.

AFC Women's Asian Cup preview: Westfield Matildas v Thailand

“Finally we're at the point where Staj [Alen Stajcic] has selection difficulties,” the Swedish-based midfielder told matildas.footballaustralia.com.au ahead of tonight’s semi-final against Thailand.

“He has to put out the 11 best players who are going to work together and be able to carry out the game-plan.

“You just have to respect the decisions he makes and realise it's a whole squad performance.

“It only strengthens the team, especially in tournaments, because you can afford to rest players and then bring them back in and know they're capable of doing the job,” said Kellond-Knight.

A FAMILIAR FOE

The Westfield Matildas hosted Thailand in Perth last month before both sides jetted out for the Asian Cup, with Australia running out comfortable 5-0 winners.

And Kellond-Knight says that will stand them in good stead to advance to the final.

“We know what style of football they're going to play,” she said.

“We know the match will be quite open at times.

“Games like this can become quite unpredictable and scrappy, especially if they're the first team to score.

“We know their strength is transition and there's a lot of speed in their team.

“We have to stay focused and disciplined.

“But I think we'll be well-prepared coming into the game.”