Matildas hint at bench role for Sam Kerr in World Cup semi-final against England

Matildas coach Tony Gustavasson has hinted on the eve of Australia’s historic World Cup semi-final clash that star striker Sam Kerr will again be used off the bench against England in Sydney.

Kerr returned from a calf injury as a late substitute in the last 16, before playing more than 60 minutes as the Matildas’ quarter-final against France went to penalties. With just four days between the matches, and Australia’s attacking quartet of Caitlin Foord, Mary Fowler, Emily van Egmond and Hayley Raso combining well together, Kerr’s addition to the starting line-up would cause complications for the manager.

“When it comes to the line-up we’ll have a discussion tonight again about minutes,” Gustavasson said on Tuesday. “I think consistency and chemistry is key for any team that wants to be successful in tournaments.

“I have some tough decisions to make tonight – I have a lot of player availability. What we’ll do is look at always trying to start as strong as possible but finish even stronger. Meaning what kind of starting line-up do we want to have, but also what kind of finishing XI do we want to have – what kind of tool, game-changer, do we think we need in a game like this? Type of players – whether it’s speed or aerial presence or closing out a game.

“There’ll be some long conversations tonight and some tough decisions to be made. A lot of players deserve to start, but a lot of players also deserve to finish the game and win it for us.”

Gustavsson otherwise indicated that all 23 members of his squad were available for selection, including vice-captain Steph Catley, who was seen with a heavily strapped thigh at training on Tuesday morning, and Kyah Simon, who is returning from a long-term ACL injury. “We’ll be meeting tonight to see the best starting XI and the best finishing XI,” the coach said.

Gustavsson admitted that Kerr had played more minutes than anticipated as the France match went to extra-time and then penalties, but said his captain had recovered well and was “definitely” available for selection.

“She pushed through more minutes than we hoped for to be honest – one reason why we kept her on the bench because we were uncertain how many minutes she had coming back from that calf injury, but also the limited training minutes that she had,” he said. “The way she pushed through was fantastic and impressive, both from a mental and physical aspect.”