Steph Catley says the Westfield Matildas are ready to show the world what they can do as they prepare to battle Vietnam for a place at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
The first of a two-legged playoff between the nations kicks off on Friday, March 6 at McDonald Jones Stadium in Newcastle (6:30pm AEDT).
Since Ante Milicic took the reins as head coach leading into the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup in France, Catley has seen overwhelming growth and development in the national side.
It's at the point now where Catley believes the Westfield Matildas are at a completely different level heading into their two-legged bout with Vietnam.
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“I think with time comes more understanding,” Catley said at Thursday's official pre-match press conference.
“We’ve been together longer and under Ante longer, so I think that helps playing together more and getting regular game time.
“Together we’re clicking a bit better; everything’s just a little sharper and our tactics and knowledge and everything is coming together more for sure.
“It’s definitely exciting; most of our players are starting to come into some really good form.
“I just feel like we’re at a different level now, we’re really ready to step it up and show the world what we can do when we get to the Olympics.”
Catley comes into the national camp riding a wave of supreme form with her club side Melbourne City, who recently clinched the Westfield W-League Premiers' Plate off the back of an unbeaten campaign.
She’s joined in the Westfield Matidlas squad by City teammates Ellie Carpenter, Emily van Egmond, Lydia Williams, Aivi Luik and Kyah Simon who will all push for minutes over the two-legged tie with Vietnam.
Catley says City’s imperious league form is helping instil a stronger sense of confidence in the Westfield Matildas camp.
“I think it’s been really good, I’ve obviously played at Melbourne City for a fair few years, but we’ve never had this many Matildas in the squad,” Catley said.
“I think the way we play in Melbourne definitely translates into the national team and vice versa.
“You’re playing next to and around the players you’re playing with full time; that really helps with chemistry, relationships and understanding each other.
“I think we’ve been playing well in Melbourne, so you get a confidence from that.
“It’s been a fun season there and hopefully we can bring that into the national team.”
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The Westfield Matildas come into Friday night’s clash as the seventh-ranked women’s side in the world.
Their opponents are currently ranked 32nd, but Westfield Matildas boss Milicic says there’s plenty to be wary of when coming up against a Vietnam outfit with a solid, organised formation and plenty of firepower up front.
“Every opponent is different; we know this will be a difficult game for us, it will be one where we need to remain patient at all times,” Milicic said.
“They’ve generally been a 4-4-2 block; they’ve had the same coach for a while.
“We saw in the last game where they played South Korea they went to more of a back five, so we expect them to defend deep and have a lot of players behind the ball, look to quickly counter and transition.
“They’ve got a lot of speed on the flanks and are quite good technically, so we’re expecting a difficult game.
“One thing we know, the women’s game’s improved very much, there’s a ticket to the Olympics on the line, so I’m sure it’s going to be a game where they put their front foot forward.
“For us it’s all about ourselves; we believe if we play to our maximum and we stay focused and we’re patient, we believe there’s enough quality there to get a good result.”
Along with the ultimate goal of winning the two-legged tie, Milicic has laid down another all-important challenge to his side ahead of the contest.
The Westfield Matildas boss doesn't want to just match the efforts which have taken them this far in qualifying, he wants to lift in every facet of the game to ensure the Green and Gold have every chance of securing their ticket to Tokyo.
“We’re looking to improve in every area,” Milicic said.
“It’s a continuous work. This preparation has been shorter in terms of when the girls have come into camp, but we’re just building on all the good things we worked on last month
“[We’re] looking forward to controlling he game, be patient, play our style of football and hopefully get a positive result that sets us up nicely for the return leg in Vietnam."
Women’s Olympic Football Tournament Play-Off Round
Australia v Vietnam (Home Leg)
Date: Friday, 6 March 2020
Kick-off: 6.30pm AEDT
Venue: McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
Tickets: GET YOURS HERE
Broadcast: Live on FOX SPORTS, Kayo Sports, ABC iview (delayed on ABC TV) and the My Football Live App
The match will also be streamed LIVE on YouTube for viewers outside of Australia and Vietnam
Vietnam v Australia (Away Leg)
Date: Wednesday, 11 March 2020
Kick-off: 6.00pm local; 10pm AEDT
Venue: Cẩm Phả Stadium, Cẩm Phả, Quảng Ninh Province, Vietnam
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