The Westfield Matildas will open their 2012 Olympic qualification campaign against DPR Korea on Thursday at the Jinan Olympic Sports Centre, China.
The Westfield Matildas will open their 2012 Olympic qualification campaign against DPR Korea on Thursday at the Jinan Olympic Sports Centre, China.
It will be the first time the two teams have met since the heart stopping 2010 AFC Asian Cup final -the Westfield Matildas won 5-4 on penalties after the teams were deadlocked at 1-1 after extra time.
Speaking from the team hotel in Jinan, China, Westfield Matildas head coach Tom Sermanni said that he expected the event to be fierce.
"It's going to be a very difficult tournament: a lot of tough teams, a lot of tough games, and it could be last team standing," said Sermanni.
"The team that utilises its players best will make it through to the Olympics."
"DPR Korea have an outstanding history in tournaments in Asia—either getting to the final or winning tournaments - they'll be here to qualify for the Olympics."
"Obviously their preparation might have been a little bit disrupted with the suspensions, but they're a very resilient team and a very resilient country and this first game on Thursday will be difficult."
Westfield Matildas captain Melissa Barbieri said that the tournament would be both mentally and physically challenging.
"Technically, it's the same number of games that we played at the Asian Cup, if you include the semi final and the final. So it's not an un-doable task."
Outlining what we can expect from the Westfield Matildas over the 11-day tournament, Sermanni said, "I hope we see the same Westfield Matildas that we saw in the Asian Cup last year and the same Westfield Matildas that we've seen for the internationals that we've played this year.
"That's a team that plays positive football, a team that's really focused, a team that goes on the field to win games, and a team that is ambitious and that wants to get to the Olympics."
The match will be the first of five matches the Westfield Matildas will play in 11 days, with the teams that finish in the top two qualifying for the 2012 Olympics in London.
The Westfield Matildas will also play 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup champions Japan, who finished third in the Asian Cup, as well as South Korea, Thailand and China.
Westfield Matildas v DPR Korea Thursday, 1 September 2011 Jinan Olympic Sports Centre Local kick-off: 15.30 (17.30 AEST) Head-to-Head: Overall record: P12: W2-D5-L5