Matildas v England LIVE: Gustavsson’s side faces toughest pre-World Cup test

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  • Good morning

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England starts strong in slippery conditions

A very scary start for the Matildas, who have already been tested at their end.

The surface is slippery out there, and the Lionesses are spending an uncomfortable amount of time at the Matildas end.

The safe hands of goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold take the ball when England come knocking, but the Lionesses are already asking some tough questions of the Aussies.

Match starts, injury plagues both teams

And play is under way in Brentford!

Both teams took a knee just before kick-off in a stand against discrimination.

The Lionesses are the current European champions, and Dutch Coach Sarina Weigman has named a strong team despite a few injuries.

The Matildas have had a rough run, with Emily van Egmond and Holly McNamara being added to the injury list, but the inclusion of Sam Kerr, who missed the team’s last game against Scotland, is a massive win for a team that will be looking to their captain for some guidance.

It was a loss for the Matildas against Scotland, breaking their seven-game winning streak, so they will need a strong start today to get some mojo back in the side.

Anthems play ahead of kick off

There’s about 17,000 fans watching out in Brentford, England this morning, and the national anthems are just starting.

It’s England’s last friendly ahead of naming their Football World Cup side, but Australia has one last game before coach Tony Gustavvson has to make any decisions.

It looks like a soggy, cold night out there for the players who are coming up against a strong Lionesses team that have won their past 30 ‘away’ games.

Best of luck to both teams. Kick-off just moments away.

Team lists

Let’s take a quick look at the team lists ahead of kick-off, and we can all put our worries to rest because Australian superstar Sam Kerr has indeed been named to play.

Check out the team lists below, which might look a little…different this morning. The players left-off the team lists are ‘forgotten’ this morning in support of the Alzheimer’s Society.

Starting XI:

Australia: Mackenzie Arnold (GK), Clare Polkinghorne, Mary Fowler, Tameka Yallop, Hayley Raso, Katrina Gorry, Sam Kerr (C), Ellie Carpenter, Charlotte Grant, Kyra Cooney-Cross, Clare Hunt.

England: Mary Earps, Lucy Bronze, Jess Carter, Keira Walsh, Leah Williamson (C), Esme Morgan, Chloe Kelly, Georgia Stanway, Alessia Russo, Ella Toone, Lauren Hemp.

Good morning

Good morning, and welcome to our live coverage of the friendlies game between our Australian Matildas and England’s the Lionesses.

My name is Billie Eder and I will be taking you through all the action this morning.

It might only be a friendly game today, but yesterday marked 100 days until the Women’s World Cup on Aussie soil, and today’s game is the Matilda’s second-last match until it starts.

So, sit back and enjoy the game. Kick off will be at 4:45am AEST.

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