The Matildas are gearing up for a pivotal challenge in Newcastle on Saturday night as they face a Mexico side that coach Joe Montemurro believes is far stronger than its FIFA ranking of 28 suggests.
Montemurro stressed that the two-game series against the Latin American team is a crucial part of Australia's preparation for next year's FIFA Women's World Cup. The second match will be held at Sydney's CommBank Stadium on Tuesday night.
Although Australia sits 13 places above Mexico in the world rankings, Montemurro was quick to highlight the quality of the opposition. "It was very important that we found all different types of styles that we'd possibly come up against in a World Cup scenario, so for us it was really important to play a very good team," he said.
"They're a top team. Their ranking doesn't mimic where I believe they should be. They're definitely a top-20 team. Their style was one that we really needed to play against – a Latin American-based team that is very good in possession but also very good from a physical perspective."
The Matildas enjoyed comfortable wins in their FIFA Series matches in April, defeating Malawi 5-0 and Kenya 2-0. Those games came less than a month after a narrow 1-0 loss to Japan in the AFC Women's Asian Cup final in Sydney.
Montemurro noted the value of the Asian Cup experience. "There were a lot of things taken out of the Asian Cup that we believe are going to be really important," he said. "The Asian Cup was fantastic for us because we played the top four teams in Asia, so that will give us a good gauge of where we're at."
He added that mental preparation is key. "Preparing mentally for any international game is an individual thing, but we as a group understand who we are and where we want to be, and the importance of these internationals. They're big games for us because they are part of the (World Cup) build-up but also important for our area to make sure we grow in that area."
Defender Winonah Heatley emphasised that the matches against Mexico are far from simple friendlies. "We are preparing for the World Cup," she said. "Regardless of whether the first game goes how we want it or not, there's always extra difficulties that come with playing the same team again and having to adjust how you played depending on what went well and what didn't go well, and knowing that they'll probably adjust some things as well."
The two-game series offers the Matildas a chance to test themselves against a physically strong and technically skilled opponent, providing a strategic benchmark ahead of the World Cup.
