Champions League winners to bring energy to Matildas
The 'vibe' around the Matildas' trio of UEFA Women's Champions League winners is set to lift Australia in its two-match series against Argentina starting on Friday night in Melbourne.
Steph Catley, Caitlin Foord and Kyra Cooney-Cross were all part of Arsenal's squad that beat Barcelona 1-0 in the weekend's Champions League final in Lisbon.
Catley, Foord and Cooney-Cross aren't set to arrive in the Matildas camp until Wednesday night, but the buzz they will bring will be appreciated by their national teammates
'They must be on cloud nine and hopefully they come into camp and bring that positive energy with them,' veteran Matildas midfielder Emily van Egmond said.
'There will be a massive positive vibe around them. The girls will probably just want to ask them a bunch of questions about how it all went.
'It's a huge credit to them. They've worked so hard and I'm just really happy for the girls to be able to experience that.
'Not a lot of people in their careers would even get to play Champions League, so to be able to come out and say that you're a winner is amazing.'
Van Egmond was expecting the Argentines to provide the Matildas with a 'physical' test in the series that concludes next Monday night in Canberra.
'It'll be a physical game,' the Birmingham City star said ahead of Friday's battle at Marvel Stadium.
'They're quite street savvy, so it's a good opportunity for us to get two other friendlies under our belt before the (2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup).
'To play against different opposition is always nice.'
The games against Argentina are expected to be the final matches of interim coach Tom Sermanni's tenure, with Joe Montemurro set to be appointed Matildas boss next month.
'He (Sermanni) has brought through a lot of the girls that are in the team now, including myself … and he's been fantastic whenever he's been in the role,' van Egmond said of the veteran mentor, who has had two previous spells as Matildas coach.
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