Superstar Matildas defender Steph Catley has been ruled out of the upcoming FIFA series in Africa due to a calf injury and will not be replaced in the squad in Australia’s first match since their heartbreaking Asian Cup defeat in the final.
The Matildas will play Malawi on Saturday and will then take on either India or Kenya the following week.
But they’ll have to do it without Catley, who famously slotted the winning penalty goal in Australia’s first match against Ireland at the home World Cup in 2023.
The Arsenal defender’s value cannot be understated given Catley finished 29th in Ballon d’Or rankings last season when she was just the third Australian player nominated for the most prestigious individual award in the game.
She started in Australia’s 1-0 loss to Japan last month but will miss the upcoming matches, as will star attacking option Mary Fowler who wasn’t named in the original squad after she made her return to the national side at the Asian Cup following a major knee injury last year.
Matildas coach Joe Montemurro still named an experienced squad for the international window, headlined by goal-scoring machine Sam Kerr.
“I think continuity is the most important thing, are we able to continue doing what we’re doing against different opposition,” he said.
“But for me it’s really important that we’ve set the base for continuity going forward and for me to make the relative adjustments and for me to see the combinations that I’m looking for and for me to prepare the tournament, the World Cup.
“I think we have to do it through the benchmark that we’ve set.
“So it was strategic to bring in the bulk of the squad back and, surprise surprise, a lot of them wanted to come back and continue the work that we’re doing which was great.”
The upcoming matches kick-off the journey to next year’s World Cup in Brazil where the Aussies will look to at least match their dream run to the semi-finals a few years ago which captivated the nation with huge crowds and record TV ratings.
