The CommBank Matildas and Sweden will continue their strong rivalry next Saturday the 12th of November when Australia hosts the reigning Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Olympic silver medallists at Melbourne’s AAMI Park.
November’s Saturday afternoon blockbuster clash will be the first time the CommBank Matildas have played in Melbourne since March 2019 when they beat Argentina 3 – 0 in a Cup of Nations Tournament, at AAMI Park.
This will also be the first time the CommBank Matildas and Sweden have met since a classic Olympic Women’s Football semi-final in Yokohama, Japan.
It will also be the first time Blågult will set foot on Australian shores in almost 20 years with the last meeting at the AWSA Australian Cup on 1 February 2008 in Canberra.
AAMI Park will host the blockbuster game on Saturday afternoon as the first game of the Seven Consulting International Series. The series is part of the lead-up preparation for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023TM, where the CommBank Matildas will utilise six FIFA International windows for the strongest possible preparation for the tournament which commences on 20 July 2023.
Squad News
Tony Gustavsson has named a 24-player CommBank Matildas squad to face world number two, Sweden. After being injury hit last FIFA Women’s International Window, the CommBank Matildas will welcome back several players including goalkeeper Lydia Williams, midfielders Clare Wheeler, Emily van Egmond and Elise Kellond-Knight and defender Alanna Kennedy.
The Swedish-based Kellond-Knight returns to the national team after a long-term injury kept her out of the team for over 12 months. Stanford University’s Amy Sayer’s strong college season earns a recall for the second time in 2022.
Meanwhile, West Ham United goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold has been ruled out after sustaining a calf injury while on club duty. It sees Sydney FC’s Jada Whyman join the camp for the second time this year.
“Coming together for the first time since we learned of our FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ opponents brings a different and sharper focus to the next set of games,” said Gustavsson.
“As always, in selecting the squad we've kept a close eye on their performances in club land. There are a few more players available which is great news as they come back from injury having recorded some good game time.”
This window could see a significant milestone for CommBank Matildas stalwart Clare Polkinghorne with the defender in line to become only the third Australian footballer to record 150 appearances for the women’s or men’s national team.
Our Opponent
A nation with a storied history in the women’s game, Sweden is also currently the reigning FIFA Women’s World Cup bronze medallist. The world number two ranked nation has recently come off a semi-final appearance at the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 in England and qualified for next year’s global showpiece for the ninth time.
Head coach Peter Gerhardsson has named a 22-player squad to travel to Australia, with Amanda Nildén ruled out of the squad due to an injury sustained while playing for Juventus.
The squad named is similar to the team that faced Spain and France in the last international window, however, a noticeable absence from the team is FC Barcelona's Fridolina Rolfö.
Gerhardsson explained Rolfö's omission from the team "Fridolina is a player that I really know where I am and what she can contribute to this national team. For the gathering here in November, where we only play one match, I have decided that I want to see some other players in the match in the positions she normally competes in, and therefore I have made the decision that Fridolina will not come here in November."
For all the latest news and information regarding the two-games series, stay updated via the official Commonwealth Bank Matildas website.
CommBank Matildas v Sweden
Date: Saturday, 12 November 2022
Venue: AAMI Park, Melbourne
Kick-Off: 2:45 pm AEDT
Broadcast: Network 10, 10 Play and Paramount+
Buy tickets now!
