Stajcic eyes AFC Women's Asian Cup glory as first of 'big three' trophies

The Westfield Matildas are targeting success at the upcoming AFC Women's Asian Cup as the launching pad to a potentially momentous treble.

Australia will be the top-ranked nation at next month's tournament in Jordan after rising to an all-time best of fourth in the world.

If they do manage to repeat the breakthrough triumph of 2010, it could set the team up for an assault on the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup and 2020 Olympic Games.

"We set targets a number of years ago that we want to be prominent in all the tournaments we attend," coach Alen Stajcic told matildas.footballaustralia.com.au.

"For us the Asian Cup is one of our big three along with the World Cup and the Olympics.

"There's no doubt the team have the objective of lifting the trophy for a tournament like this.

READ: Stajcic urges Perth to get behind Westfield Matildas

"We know we've got a challenging group. Korea, Japan and Vietnam are all tough teams and world-class teams in their own right.

"It’s certainly not going to be easy. Looking at world rankings or whatever is really irrelevant when it comes to a major tournament like this."

Matildas Japan
Australia and Japan clashed at the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup.

The top five teams at this year's tournament all progress to next year's FIFA Women's World Cup in France, meaning results from the outset will be at a premium.

Australia have been dealt a difficult hand in Group B with Japan and South Korea among the contenders for silverware.

READ: Four key Westfield Matildas 'racing the clock' for AFC Women's Asian Cup fitness

"Japan and Korea are both technically fantastic teams and have been for a long time," Stajcic said.

"They’re both very, very good teams with fantastic individuals.

"We're certainly aware of their strengths and weaknesses, and they know what to expect from us as well.

"We know it’s going to be a tough game when we get to those occasions and we know we have to play our best to come out on top."

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This article was originally published on the CommBank Matildas website.
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