Australian Mary Fowler has said that the Matildas of Australia are ready against the Super Falcons of Nigeria when both sides clash on Thursday in the match-day two of the ongoing FIFA Women World Cup ongoing in New Zealand and Australia.
Nigeria will square up against Australia in their next group B fixture at the Lang Park Stadium on Thursday (from 11am Nigeria time) with the arena expected to be filled to its 52,000 -capacity.
The hosts will be without star striker Sam Kerr, who has a calf injury. Her absence is a major boost to Nigeria’s chances.
Nigeria midfielder Deborah Abiodun will also miss the clash with Australia through suspension after she was sent off deep into second-half stoppage time for a late tackle on Canada’s Ashley Lawrence.
Meanwhile, Fowler is confident she could build a winning strike partnership with Caitlin Foord as the Matildas duo attempt to fill the void left by their injured skipper.
“I feel ready and everyone else feels ready,” Fowler told reporters.
“So whoever’s out there, you know what you need to do when you get out there – you just play.
“Every team is going to be a bit different, every opponent.
“But we take it one match at a time and go into training and watch this game and see what we can do better.”
Australia leads group B with 3pts followed by Canada and Nigeria after both teams shared the spoils on Friday.