Rio 2016: Matildas face tough test against home nation Brazil

Rio 2016: Matildas face tough test against home nation Brazil

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Australia has made it through to the quarter finals of the Rio 2016 Olympics Games but faces its toughest test yet.

The Matildas will play host nation Brazil in front of thousands of loud, fiery and passionate fans, willing their team on to progress through to the semi finals.

Alen Stajcic’s side made things difficult for themselves after a 2-0 loss to Canada and a 2-2 draw with Germany but ultimately entered the knockout stages of the Games after a huge 6-1 win over Zimbabwe. Lisa De Vanna, Kyah Simon, Clare Polkinghorne and Alanna Kennedy all scored with Michelle Heyman capping off the performance with a brace.

Brazil earned a 3-0 win over China and a 5-1 win over Sweden before ending their group stage games with a 0-0 draw against South Africa. The Brazilians finished top of group E with relative ease and attracted big crowds to all their matches. Marta and Cristiane both scored two goals during the preliminary stages as the team searches for their first Olympic gold medal.

Key battle – Marta v Lisa De Vanna

These two are not direct opponents, their battle is more about which talismanic team leader can have a bigger impact on their team? Marta is playing with a weight of expectation on her shoulders. She has one of, if not the best, games to goals scoring ratios in the world and has been a menace to defenders for years. Elise Kellond-Knight will be tasked with shutting her down and after successfully nullifying the Brazilian in the 2015 World Cup she will be confident that she can do it again.

For De Vanna, she is the Matildas co-captain and one of the key players the team looks to in times of trouble. She has managed to score in every major tournament she has played in and will want to add to the goal she got against Zimbabwe. De Vanna will always be closely marked by defenders who are all too aware of the threat she poses. Both women need to step up for their countries and whoever does could very well alter the outcome of the match.

Team News

Both teams appear to be at full-strength. However, the fitness of the players will begin to come into question after three matches in a short period of time.

Expected Matildas Starting XI: Williams; Polkinghorne, Alleway, Kennedy, Catley; van Egmond, Gorry, Kellond-Knight; De Vanna, Simon, Kerr

Head to Head

These teams have met 13 times with Brazil winning eight times and Australia winning five. The teams have met at the Olympics before with Brazil winning the clashes at Sydney 200 and Athens 2004.

Last Meeting

Brazil and Australia met just before the Games begun with Brazil triumphing 3-1. Katrina Gorry was sent off meaning the Matildas played majority of the match a player down.

Prediction

Beating Brazil in Brazil is a huge task for the team. It is not an impossible task considering the Matildas have knocked them out of a major tournament in the last 12 months. It is also a positive that almost all of the same team that beat the Brazilians in Canada has travelled to Rio and is playing in this tournament. While they will take plenty of confidence from being their victory at the World Cup last year, the influence of the home crowd cannot be understated. There is some concern about the fitness of the Matildas, who looked tired and dropped off in the final 10-15 minutes of the game against Zimbabwe.

The Matildas will give it their all, as they always do, but Brazil should be fresher and boosted by the support of their home fans. The weight of expectation on the Brazilians should drive them into the semi finals.

Brazil 2 Australia 1

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