The 2023 Women’s World Cup co-hosts Australia had high expectations heading into the tournament, entering in strong form with the fervent support of a home crowd.
They won their opening match of the tournament via a tight 1-0 result over the Republic of Ireland in front of a record crowd for a women’s football match in the country.
They notably had to do it without inspirational superstar Sam Kerr, who was ruled out of the opening two matches of the tournament with a calf injury.
To make matters worse, Australia have now been rocked by more injury news ahead of their second match against Nigeria tonight, further testing their squad depth.
MORE: Australia final 23-player World Cup squad
Matildas latest injury news: Fowler, Luik join Kerr in casualty ward
The Matildas' preparations for their second Group B match against Nigeria have been rocked by news emerging on Wednesday morning that Mary Fowler and Aivi Luik have been ruled out of the match through injury.
📰 SQUAD UPDATE: Mary Fowler and Aivi Luik will be unavailable for Thursday night’s clash with Nigeria with both players having been ruled out after sustaining mild concussions during training. #Matildas #FIFAWWC #TilitsDone
— CommBank Matildas (@TheMatildas) July 26, 2023
According to Football Australia, the pair both sustained concussions in separate incidents at training on July 25, further stating "both [have] fully recovered and commenced Football Australia’s Graduated Return to Play protocol".
The loss of Fowler is a particularly significant blow, with Australia already thin on attackers in light of Kerr's absence and Kyah Simon's minimal match fitness.
Fowler notably scored the winning goal in Australia's final warm-up match before the tournament against France before replacing Kerr in the starting lineup for their match against the Republic of Ireland.
The loss of Luik also reduces the depth of the Matildas' defensive stocks, with the veteran able to play across all of the backline.
There have also been some fitness concerns regarding centre backs Clare Polkinghorne and Alanna Kennedy.
Sam Kerr injury
By far the biggest injury concern for Australia is for their captain and record goalscorer Sam Kerr, who picked up an injury two days before the side's opening World Cup match.
Coach Tony Gustavsson did not share the news to the media in the pre-match press conference, with the late announcement surprising the footballing world.
The official line from the Australia camp is that the calf injury will see Kerr miss the match against Nigeria, with the injury to then be re-assessed ahead of their final group game against Canada on July 31.
MORE: When will Sam Kerr return from injury for Matildas' World Cup campaign?
However, a concerning moment came in a recent press conference, where Kerr's teammate Kyra Cooney-Cross was heard saying "it's disappointing that Sam has torn her calf", raising fears Kerr's injury could be a more serious injury, potentially keeping her out for most or all of the tournament.
ABC's @Jess_Stewart16 asked #Matildas Kyra Cooney-Cross about #SamKerr's calf injury and this is what she said...#FIFAWWC #football #Matildas pic.twitter.com/ZT8aF7puDp
— Tracey Holmes (@TraceyLeeHolmes) July 24, 2023
Australia World Cup schedule
Australia play their second match of the World Cup on Thursday. night when they face Nigeria at Brisbane Stadium, with their final match of the group stage against Canada being played at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium on July 31.
Both games are expected to be sold out with capacity crowds expected for the country's golden girls.
| Date | Time | Match | Stadium |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 27 | 8:00 p.m. AEST | Australia vs. Nigeria | Brisbane Stadium |
| July 31 | 8:00 p.m. AEST | Australia vs. Canada | Melbourne Rectangular Stadium |
