Melbourne: With less than three weeks until the official draw for the 2018 AFC Women’s Asian Cup, two of the tournament’s potential contenders will cross paths in Melbourne on Wednesday evening.
Australia, looking to round off a memorable 2017, will meet China PR, Asia’s most successful women’s national team, in a match which could provide a preview of next April’s final.
Alen Stajcic’s Matildas come into the match following five consecutive international wins, having beaten world champions the United States, Asian champions Japan and claiming three successive victories over South American champions Brazil.
Australia’s star forward Sam Kerr scored seven goals in those matches, part of a combined club and country tally of 32 for the year, and she comes into Wednesday’s match fresh from scoring a superb double in Perth Glory’s 3-1 win over Melbourne Victory on Sunday,
Kerr ‘s annus mirabilis has not gone unnoticed; She has been nominated as one of the final three contenders for the AFC Women’s Player of the Year award, to be announced on in Bangkok November 29.
While his back-flipping striker has dominated the headlines, Stajcic has quality at his disposal in all areas of the pitch, and plenty of experience, with 13 of the 21-strong squad having already clocked up at least 50 international appearances.
China, on the other hand, will hope Wednesday’s match is the first step in a successful new era for the national team, with Icelandic boss Siggi Eyjólfsson taking charge of the team for the first time following his appointment last week.
The Steel Roses lost to DPR Korea on home soil in Chongqing last month, but bounced back with a 3-2 win over Mexico and a 2-2 draw with Brazil to complete a mixed Youngchuan International Tournament.
Wang Shanshan scored both goals in the latter fixture, taking her tally to seven international goals in 2017, the first of which came against the Matildas at the Algarve Cup in Portugal back in March.
Australia came from behind to win 2-1 on that occasion, but China lead the head-to-head between the two teams, having won 19 and drawn 11 of their 40 previous meetings.
The Matildas eight-game unbeaten streak, which included the capture of the inaugural Tournament of Nations trophy, has been celebrated by the Australian public, with consecutive 15,000-plus crowds for two home fixtures against Brazil in New South Wales in September.
The draw for the 2018 AFC Women’s Asian Cup will be held in Jordan on December 9.
Photos: FIFA.com, AFP
Source: the-afc.com