Key Points
- The Matildas play Nigeria on Thursday night, their second game of the World Cup.
- They will be without captain Sam Kerr who is still nursing a calf injury.
- A win would take them to the next stage.
The Matildas are hoping they'll have a hometown advantage when they come up against Nigeria for the first time in eight years in their next Women's World Cup match.
Thursday night's game in Brisbane, where the Matildas have been based, will be their second match of the tournament. A win would see them guaranteed a spot in the next round.
They won their opening game against Ireland 1-0 in front of more than 75,000 fans in Sydney, thanks to a penalty scored by stand-in captain Steph Catley.
What's happened to Sam Kerr?
Shortly before kick-off, the Matildas announced captain Sam Kerr would not play against Ireland because of a calf injury she suffered in training.
The star striker won't be playing against Nigeria either, and was watching on as her teammates trained on Monday.
Midfielder Kyra Cooney-Cross inadvertently sent shock waves through a Matildas' press conference on Monday by accidentally saying Kerr had torn her calf.
Sam Kerr was a spectator at Matildas training on Monday as she continues to recover from a calf injury. Source: AAP / Jono Searle
A Football Australia spokesperson quickly clarified Kerr's injury was not as serious as a tear but wouldn't say exactly what the problem was, indicating Cooney-Cross was speaking colloquially and had mistakenly used the wrong phrase.
Kerr has already dismissed suggestions her tournament is over, and her teammates have regularly spoken about welcoming her back in the later stages.
(left to right) Matildas players Kyra Cooney-Cross, Charlotte Grant, Hayley Raso and Ellie Carpenter at training in Brisbane ahead of their World Cup match against Nigeria. Source: AAP / Jono Searle
Defender Charli Grant sent a reassuring message, saying: "We're doing really well, and we've just gotta stay positive. These things happen in big tournaments, so we've just got to adapt."
"We've still got top-class players as our forwards."
The Matildas' attack suffered another blow on Wednesday, however, when Fowler and veteran defender Aivi Luik were ruled out of Thursday's match after being concussed in separate incidents on Tuesday.
"We played an intense tempo game in training, and unfortunately, we had a couple of head knocks," coach Tony Gustavsson said.
"It's up to the medical team to decide whether players are available or not."
Will Australia beat Nigeria?
Their respective World rankings - the Matildas are 10th and Nigeria's Super Falcons are 40th - would suggest a win for Australia.
But tournament football can be unpredictable.
The last time the teams met, in the group stage of the 2015 Women's World Cup in the US, the Matildas won 2-0, with Kyah Simon scoring both goals.
Simon is unlikely to play on Thursday due to injury but Katrina Gorry, who started in 2015, and Tameka Yallop, who replaced her in midfield, are - and they're wary of what a team led by Barcelona star Asisat Oshoala can deliver.
"A tough, tough game, I remember," Gorry said.
"I watched them play Canada and they're even more powerful than they were then.
"They've got so much speed but a lot of class across the field, (they're) technically very good.
Matildas players celebrate with Kyah Simon (centre, blue headband) after she scored against Nigeria at the 2015 Women's World Cup in the US. Source: AP / John Woods
Yallop has recovered from a corked thigh to press her selection case.
"It'll be a very different game from 2015 but they still have all those qualities that they had before," she said.
"There's a little bit of unpredictability to them, which does make it a little bit difficult. But at the same time we've trained for that as well in our prep.
"It's just about being focused in every moment against them."
How has the Nigerian team performed?
Nigeria's Deborah Abiodun was sent off for a nasty challenge on Canada's Ashley Lawrence in their World Cup match in Melbourne. Source: AAP / SOPA Images/Sipa USA
It was no mean feat, with Canada, ranked seventh in the world, coming into the tournament in the pool of favourites having won the gold medal match at the 2021 Olympic Games.
Nigeria midfielder Deborah Abiodun will miss the clash with Australia through suspension after she was sent off deep into second-half stoppage time for a late tackle on Canada's Ashley Lawrence.
Canada dominated possession for periods of play at the start of each half, with Chiamaka Nnadozie delivering a vital contribution.
The Paris FC goalkeeper denied Canada's all-time leading scorer Christine Sinclair from the penalty spot and made a close-range save from substitute Evelyne Viens to keep scores level in the second half.
"Chiamaka's (penalty) save really kind of lit the fire and made us realise there's still something to play for, and that the mountain wasn't too hard to climb," Super Falcons coach Randy Waldrum said after the game on Friday.
"We have to try to improve our performance but overall I'm pleased with the way the team played and the way we thought we had to play to get a result.
"I'm pleased and they did perform well in that regard."
