Australia and Sweden will continue their strong rivalry this Saturday when the CommBank Matildas host 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.
Ready for a classic rematch
Australia and Sweden played one another three times in 2021, once in a 0-0 friendly in Sweden before the Olympics and twice at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, with the Swedes beating Australia in the semi-finals to advance to the Gold Medal Match.
The Matildas always seem to find Sweden at major tournaments. The pair have met at three FIFA Women's World Cups as well as three Olympics - Sydney 2000, Athens 2004 & Tokyo 2020.
READ: Match Preview: CommBank Matildas v Sweden
Our next opponents will be familiar, not only because we played them three times last year but because Sweden is where many of the Matildas ply their trade domestically.
Clare Polkinghorne, Katrina Gorry and Charli Grant are at Vittsjö while Elise Kellond-Knight, Kyra Cooney-Cross and Elise Kellond-Knight are at Hammarby. Teagan Micah has helped FC Rosengård to back-to-back league titles, while Aivi Luik joined BK Häcken midway through the season.
Squad news
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.
The squad named is similar to the team that faced Spain and France in the last international window, however, two noticeable absences from the squad in FC Barcelona's Fridolina Rolfö, AC Milan's Kosovare Asllani and Arsenal's Lina Hurtig, the last two injured in clubland before the international break begun.
Head coach Peter Gerhardsson has named a similar squad to the side that faced Spain and France in the last international window.
All eyes are on next year
After the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023™ Draw at the end of October, this will be the first FIFA international window where all nations know their group stage venues and opponents.
Australia will be able to refamiliarise itself with AAMI Park, after last playing there back in March 2019. Melbourne's iconic stadium will be the backdrop for their final group stage game against the Olympic Gold medalists Canada.
Sweden will play all of their group stage games across the pond in New Zealand.
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!
