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Sam Kerr is not yet ready to return to playing after sustaining a serious knee injury almost 18 months ago. But the Matildas captain has been marking her mark around the squad while joining in parts of training in her home town.
Preamble
Martin Pegan
Hello and welcome to live coverage of the second women’s football friendly between Australia and Panama, this time at HBF Park in Perth.
The Matildas are out to finish their four-match stretch of friendlies in WA on a high especially after falling to a 1-0 loss to Panama in Bunbury on Sunday. That marked the first defeat of the Joe Montemurro era and came after the Matildas earned a win and a draw against Slovenia in the coach’s first two games in charge.
Montemurro has not only been trying to evolve the game plan with more of a focus on controlling possession, but also taking a closer look at emerging and fringe players that are competing for spots in Australia’s squad at the Women’s Asian Cup and beyond. The Matildas will have another fresh look about them with Teagan Micah left out as a precaution after copping a blow in the first game against Panama, while Alex Chidiac, Emily Gielnik and Kaitlyn Torpey have left the camp as previously planned.
Kick-off is at 6pm AWST / 8pm AEST. I’ll be back soon with more team news. In the meantime, shoot me an email or find me on X @martinpegan and Bluesky @martinpegan.bsky.social with any questions, thoughts and predictions. Let’s get into it!
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