<\/p>\n
As of Tuesday, the FIFA Womens World Cup is just 100 days away \u2013 one of the biggest sporting events ever to be held on Australian soil.<\/p>\n
On Wednesday morning (AEDT), the Matildas\u2019 preparations for their bid for glory on home soil (the tournament is being co-hosted with NZ) take a massive step up with a blockbuster clash with England.<\/p>\n
An understrength Australian side fell to a 1-0 defeat to Scotland \u2013 a team that failed to qualify for the World Cup \u2013 on Friday night. A series of familiar problems resurfaced as a seven-match winning streak came crashing to a halt.<\/p>\n
Now, the world number 10 Aussies face off against world number four England in arguably their toughest test in years \u2013 where an upset victory could demonstrate that the Matildas are genuine contenders for the World Cup.<\/p>\n
Watch the world\u2019s best footballers every week with beIN SPORTS on Kayo. LIVE coverage from Bundesliga, Ligue 1, Serie A, Carabao Cup, EFL & SPFL. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now ><\/a><\/b><\/i><\/p>\n 100 days to go until Women’s World Cup! | 03:17<\/p>\n \u2018Unlike anything I\u2019ve ever seen\u2019: Hollywood star in shock as minnows close in on great dream<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n Liverpool\u2019s radical position swap bombs; manager snubs team over nightmare moment:<\/a> PL Talking Pts<\/b><\/p>\n Coach Tony Gustavsson labelled the Lionessess the \u201cteam in the world to beat\u201d on the back of a 30-game unbeaten run. That remarkable streak was capped off on Friday by victory for the European champions over South American champs Brazil in the first-ever Women\u2019s Finalissima in front of 83,132 fans at Wembley Stadium.<\/p>\n England are firmly among the favourites to hoist the most cherished silverware in the game, the Women\u2019s World Cup, with a star-studded attack and depth that makes selecting a 23-player squad for the tournament a headache-inducing task.<\/p>\n \u201cThirty games unbeaten, they play modern football with high intensity, extremely high tempo in everything they do. Their pressing game is fantastic, and their goal movement brilliant,\u201d Gustavsson said.<\/p>\n Defender Charli Grant similarly said: \u201cEngland is going to be a really exciting challenge for us to see where we\u2019re at especially so close to a World Cup.<\/p>\n \u201cI think they definitely have probably one of the best forwards in the world at the moment and that\u2019s going to be a really good challenge for our backline but also they\u2019re great defensively to see how well they\u2019ve done in the Euros and even recently in friendly matches.\u201d <\/p>\n By contrast, the Matildas are currently battling a host of injuries, with Gustavsson stating he is missing \u2018eight to 10\u2019 players for the massive clash.<\/p>\n Scotland shock Matildas with 1-0 win | 01:18<\/p>\n Captain Sam Kerr missed the defeat to Scotland for unnamed reasons and remains under some doubt for this clash.<\/p>\n The likes of veterans Steph Catley, Caitlin Foord, Emily Gielnik, Elise Kellond-Knight, Alanna Kennedy, and Chloe Logarzo were ruled out of these friendlies through injury. Emily van Egmond and Holly McNamara were sent back to their clubs over the weekend after also suffering injuries.<\/p>\n Gustavsson said: \u201cWe\u2019re not going to shy away from this challenge, it\u2019s the toughest maybe ever since I came on board, and all these players won\u2019t shy away either. That\u2019s who they are.\u201d<\/p>\n It is the final match before Gustavsson names his 23-player squad for the tournament proper, and could well provide a harsh lesson. Of course, all that matters is whether the coach and team learn those lessons by the time it really counts.<\/p>\n Kerr hopes World Cup delivers dreams | 01:18<\/p>\n England vs CommBank Matildas<\/b><\/p>\n Venue: Gtech Community Stadium, London<\/p>\n Kick-Off: 4:45am, Wed, 12 April (AEST)<\/p>\n Broadcast: Network 10<\/p>\n LIVE BLOG<\/b><\/p>\n Follow the action in our live blog below from 4.45am AEST. If you can\u2019t see the blog, click here.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n