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Key events
Football Australia say that this game at Allianz Stadium is sold out, though it remains to be seen how many members of the venue show up to take their seats.
Those that are here are suitably keen to add some colour to the festitivies.
Sam Kerr has joined up with the Matildas camp for the first time since rupturing an ACL while training with Chelsea in 2023, and has also wound her way through a high-profile criminal trial where she was found not guilty of racially aggravated harassment in February.
Football Australia has since decided not to impose any further sanctions on their star striker for the late-night incident in the UK during which she verbally abused a police officer, with Matildas including veteran midfielder Emily van Egmond throwing their support behind Kerr to continue as captain of the national side.
South Korea XI
South Korea: Kim Minjung (gk), Lim Seonjoo, Shin Nayeong, Kim Shinji, Ji Soyun, Choe Yuri, Lee Youngju (capt), Lee Geummin, Kim Hyeri, Choo Hyojoo, Phair Casey Yujin
𝗣𝗟𝗔𝗬 𝗢𝗡 𝗮𝘀 𝗢𝗡𝗘, 하나되어 빛나는 순간!✨
4월 원정 친선경기 호주전에 출전하는 🇰🇷여자축구국가대표팀의 선발명단을 공개합니다!📌Non-playing 류지수, 이유진, 정다빈
✔여자축구국가대표팀 친선경기
🇰🇷v🇦🇺#호주 04.04(금) 18:10📺TV조선2, tvN Sports , 쿠팡플레이
⏰한국시간 기준 pic.twitter.com/OF3h07Vc2K— theKFA (@theKFA) April 4, 2025
Matildas XI
Australia: Teagan Micah (gk); Charlotte Grant, Alanna Kennedy, Winonah Heatley, Jamilla Rankin, Steph Catley (capt); Kyra Cooney-Cross, Emily Van Egmond, Tameka Yallop; Caitlin Foord, Holly McNamara.
The Matildas are already missing several first-choice starters due to injury and will kick off against South Korea with playmaker Mary Fowler among the substitutes due to a heavy workload in recent weeks.
Jamilla Rankin will make her first start for the national side.
The Matildas will face South Korea with interim head coach Tom Sermanni still in charge for at least these two friendlies and possibly a couple more against Argentina in late May and early June. Sermanni has been a steadying hand during his third stint as Matildas coach but Football Australia surely needs to ramp up its search – or more likely, negotiations – for someone to take the reins heading into the 2026 Asian Cup.
Joe Montemurro is tipped to be among the frontrunners, along with Western United men’s coach John Aloisi. Sermanni would be comfortable with the current Lyon coach taking over as his permanent successor, yesterday describing Montemurro as an “outstanding coach”.
Preamble
Martin Pegan
Hello and welcome to live coverage of the women’s international friendly between Australia and South Korea at Allianz Stadium in Sydney. The Matildas are seeking a return to form in back-to-back friendlies against their Asian rivals after a horror campaign at the SheBelieves Cup but will have to do so without some of their leading players.
Australia lost all three matches at the tournament in the United States in February and have now slumped to a 20-year low in the Fifa world rankings at No 16. But they have no time to lick their wounds with the 2026 Women’s Asian Cup on home soil now less than 11 months away.
South Korea knocked the Matildas out of the last continental tournament with a 1-0 victory at the quarter-final stage and loom as a stern challenge in a pair of friendlies as both sides gear up for another shot at winning an Asian Cup.
The Matildas have handed several debuts and additional opportunities to emerging and fringe players during interim head coach Tom Sermanni’s third stint in charge and are likely to call on many of those fresh faces with the first-choice XI hit hard by injury. Katrina Gorry (ankle) withdrew ahead of the players landing back in Australia while Ellie Carpenter (ankle) and Hayley Raso (thigh) were ruled out on Thursday and sent back to their respective clubs.
Goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold will also miss at least tonight’s game after injuring an arm in Matildas training this week. Liverpool shotstopper Teagan Micah will take the gloves at Allianz Stadium while Arnold will hope to return to face the world No 19 In Newcastle on Monday night.
Kick-off is at 8.10pm AEDT. I’ll be back shortly with the line-ups and team news.
In the meantime, get in touch with any questions, thoughts and predictions. You can shoot me an email, or find me on X @martinpegan and Bluesky @martinpegan.bsky.social. Let’s get into it!
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