Captain Sam Kerr yesterday declared herself available for Australia’s must-win clash with Olympic champions Canada in a major boost for the FIFA Women’s World Cup cohosts.
Prolific Chelsea striker Kerr, the face of the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, injured her calf on the eve of the tournament and missed the Matildas’ first two games.
The Australians, who were one of the favorites to win the title, squeezed past Ireland 1-0 thanks to a penalty to open their campaign, but were then stunned 3-2 by Nigeria.
Photo: AP
That left their World Cup in serious peril and underlined just how much they missed their talismanic goalscorer.
With the critical encounter against Canada looming tomorrow, the 29-year-old fronted the media in Brisbane to say: “I am going to be there, I am going to be ready.”
However, she declined to say how much of a part she would play in the clash in Melbourne.
“I would love to tell you guys everything, but you know being in sport a long time that that’s a massive thing that the opposition wants to know,” Kerr said. “It is going to go down to the wire. I am definitely going to be available but how we decide to use that is not to be given to the opposition.”
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