Following a day of recovery, the CommBank Matildas returned to the training pitch in Surrey to start preparations for Tuesday night’s fixture with England.
Defender Charlotte Grant discussed the team’s recovery and turning their focus onto the European Champions - following a 90-minute shift against Scotland.
"Recovery is going really well. I think we have already turned our focus to the England match and put our focus there and trying to learn from that Scotland game,"
"It's important for us just to remember all the positives from that game (against Scotland) and take that with confidence going into the England game,"
Grant played the whole game against Scotland, making her 17th appearance for her country, with the defender swapping from right back, where fans saw her play during the Cup of Nations, to playing left back in the absence of Steph Catley.
"I was really happy to be given the opportunity to play at left-back. It's definitely big shoes to fill with Steph out. But I was happy with my performance I think I was able to provide a lot of attacking opportunities, but I just need to be better in my final passes, and hopefully, help contribute to goalscoring opportunities." Grant explained.
The defender is familiar with the left-back role, playing this position with her Swedish club Vittsjö GIK in the Damallsvenskan, with her team just two games into their new season.
"It was a different feeling, playing with different players around you naturally. But I love both sides and I love just being able to represent my country and just embrace every moment." she continued.
Australia's next opponent, England presents a new challenge for the side on Tuesday night, taking on the reigning UEFA Women's Champions for the first time since 2018, with Sarina Wiegman's side currently holding a 30-game unbeaten streak heading into their FIFA Women's World Cup campaign.
"England is going to be a really exciting challenge for us to see where we're at especially so close to a World Cup. I think they definitely have probably one of the best forwards in the world at the moment and that's going to be a really good challenge for our backline but also they're great defensively to see how well they've done in the Euros and even recently in friendly matches."
Wiegman has the ability to call on a number of world-class strikers plying their trade in the WSL and around the world, with Chloe Kelly coming into the game in form after scoring the game-winning penalty against Brazil to claim the inaugural Women’s Finalissima. Grant is relishing the opportunity to challenge herself against some of the best in the world during Tuesday night's game.
"I love coming up against different quality strikers and forwards I think it only makes my game get better and I'm really enjoying the challenge and I'm really looking forward to this game against England." she finished.
COMMBANK MATILDAS MATCH SCHEDULE | APRIL 2023
England v CommBank Matildas
Date: Tues, 11 April 2023 (local) / Wed, 12 April (AEST)
Venue: Gtech Community Stadium, London
Kick-Off: 7:45 pm (BST) / 4:45 am (AEST)
Broadcast: Network 10 and Paramount+