Matildas head coach Tony Gustavsson has made a whopping 10 changes to his team for their second fixture against Canada at 2pm (AEDT).
Gustavsson opted to name an inexperienced team for the first friendly, but the call backfired as the Matildas were thrashed 5-0 by the hosts.
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The scoreline could have been larger if not for some impressive saves from goalkeeper Teagan Micah, who is the only player from the defeat to retain her place.
A large number of Matildas regulars have come straight into the lineup including midfielder Katrina Gorry who was at risk of missing out due to illness.
Gustavsson defended his decision to use two entirely different lineups instead of blending some of his usual starters with fringe players across the two games and felt the experience of taking on the defending Olympic gold medallists was one “they need”.
“As a coach, you know what it’s like when you lose the game – either you get criticised for not explaining what you’re doing, or you get criticised for the explanation you gave,” Gustavsson told reporters in Vancouver on Tuesday.
“That’s how it works when you lose 5-0 in this game. As long as that criticism is to me, it’s fine, but I think we need to be very respectful of these players.”
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“They were extremely professional in this last game to go all in and try things.
“It was a credit to the experienced players and my support staff to create a safe space for these young players to be out there and play. Some people probably go, ‘Hey, is this fair to the players to give them this type of experience?’
“They love it. This is what they want. They want to play against top teams. They want to learn. As long as I make sure I create a safe space for them to get this experience, it’s what they need.”
Gustavsson also promised to ring the changes for the second match against Canada which will likely mean a raft of regular starters return to the line-up.
TEAM NEWS
Australia (4-4-2): Micah; Catley (c), Hunt, Kennedy, Carpenter; Fowler, Gorry, Cooney-Cross, Raso; Van Egmond, Foord
Canada: Sheridan; Buchanan, Quinn, Riviere, Lawrence, Sinclair (c), Schmidt, Gilles, Prince, Lacasse, Rose
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