The 2023 Cup of Nations two top-ranked nations will face each other on Sunday, 19 February 2023 at CommBank Stadium in Parramatta.
CommBank Matildas head coach Tony Gustavsson was available for a media opportunity this afternoon following the team’s final hit out at Jubilee Stadium.
A quick turnaround after Australia's opening game against Czechia, a 4-0 win, saw a rest day on Friday for a handful of players to recover from the previous day's game. Saturday's session in Sydney saw the team prepare for their second meeting with Spain, taking to the pitch during the MD-1 session.
"I think it was a great session. Normally when we have this short of time between the games and the recovery, the first couple of minutes and the training is a bit slow to get started, but you need to get that out of your system so that you can feel the tempo again." Gustavsson explained after the session.
"We started with doing a lot of tactics in half of the training and then the second half was all about tempo because that's going to be the key tomorrow."
Spain sits in second place at the moment on the table after a 3-0 win over Jamaica, with goal difference putting Australia at the top of the table heading into matchday 2.
"That's why we play top opposition, getting international play and playing the top nations. It's can we match the temp? What's going to be the number one challenge tomorrow?"
After the team made long-haul flights before the commencement of the Cup of Nations, travelling from Sweden, the USA and England to make the trek back home. Gustavsson explained there would be more player availability in the second game of the tournament.
"Well, there's much more availability tomorrow than the last game, which means there's competition for spots."
"It's going to be a long discussion tonight amongst coaches, not just about the starting lineup, but how we play the game after 90 minutes."
One notable player that the coach was impressed with was Charli Grant, who is in the pre-season at the moment in Sweden with Vittsjö GIK and last played a full game back in November.
"Charlotte Grant has been an off-season. She hasn't played competitive games for three months. She broke a record physically in the game against Czechia because she's been so professional in terms of her individual training."
CommBank Matildas v Spain
Date: Sunday, 19 February 2023
Venue: CommBank Stadium, Sydney, NSW
Kick-Off: 6.00 pm AEDT.
Tickets: Buy tickets!