Australia’s Commbank Matildas are set to face Germany tonight at the Orange Vélodrome in their first game of the Paris Olympics.
The last time the two sides met, Australia suffered a 5-2 loss to Horst Hrubesch’s side.
Prior to that, Germany have won five out of six previous matches in competition against the Matildas.
Australia have struggled against big sides like Germany in the past and with the USA also in their group it looks likely they’ll be in for a difficult tournament yet again.
Germany won Olympic gold in 2016 after three consecutive bronze medals, whereas the Matildas’s performances in the Games have never garnered them silverware.
In terms of injury news, Kaitlyn Torpey, Steph Catley and Tameka Yallop are fit again after being out on injury in their last international match against Canada.
Caitlin Foord, Katrina Gorry and Alanna Kennedy also missed the match, but Foord claimed confidently in an interview that they would all be available for the match against Germany.
It seems likely the Matildas will play in manager Tony Gustavsson’s preferred form of 4-4-2 whereas Germany’s previously favoured formation of 4-2-3-1 is likely to change following Lena Oberdorf’s injury.
The midfielder has been ruled out of the Games after rupturing her ACL in the Euro 2025 qualifier match against Austria.
The match kicks off tonight (25 July) at 6pm BST and will be available to watch on Eurosport and Discovery+.
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