Tameka Butt says the Westfield Matildas will be out to gain a psychological edge on their opponents by continuing their high-octane performances at the Algarve Cup.
Heading into the tournament in Portugal, Alen Stajcic’s side will start favourites after jumping to fourth in the world after a stunning 2017.
Australia have been pitted in Group A alongside Norway, hosts Portugal and China for the 12-team invitational tournament.
And Butt declared the team are hungry to build on the wave of momentum they have created and leave a lasting impression on their opposition.
“I think we have a very fast, physical game and that’s what we want to instil in the minds of our opponents,” Butt told https://matildas.footballaustralia.com.au.
“I think it’s important to keep winning, but also important to keep learning.
“The more we improve, the more we play and win, other teams are going to be watching us.
“We still need to be playing those top teams and winning and developing our skills and problem-solving on the field, so that we can maintain that high level.”
The upcoming Algarve Cup is the start of a huge 18 months for the Westfield Matildas, which includes April’s AFC Women’s Asian Cup, their Tournament of Nations title defence later this year and then the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Currently on a seven-match winning streak, Australia are now considered serious contenders for the World Cup, especially after beating the likes of USA, Brazil and Japan in 2017.
“I think this World Cup is the biggest one for us, where our team is at, at the moment,” Butt admitted.
“Not just the world rankings, but our team culture, our collectiveness and our direction.
“Hopefully it’s going to play out to be our biggest World Cup yet.
“We’ve got a pathway that we’re on and we’ve been on it since last year. And that’s to keep building, keep improving our ranking and just being able to play good football all the time, have consistency.”