Kerr leads Australia women squad for Olympic qualifiers

CANBERRA - Australia women's national football team head coach Ante Milicic announced a 20-player squad on Wednesday for the team's forthcoming 2020 Olympic Games qualification matches in China.

The Matildas will assemble in Sydney for a training camp between January 20 and 27 before leaving for China on January 28.

Australia's games will be held in Wuhan on February 3, 6 and 9, when they will meet Chinese Taipei, Thailand and China respectively in their Group B qualifiers at the Five Rings Sports Center.

"We have a great amount of experience in our squad, as well as some emerging talents, and I expect us to perform strongly in Wuhan," Milicic was quoted as saying by Football Federation Australia.

The 20-player squad includes captain Sam Kerr, who plays her club football with Chelsea, and Emily Gielnik of Bayern Munich. They will meet their teammates in Hubei Province prior to the start of the tournament.

"The great amount of consistency within our squad from November's series against Chile in Sydney and Adelaide means we will be able to continue to progress with many areas of our play from the moment we convene in Sydney as we build up to these crucial qualifiers," said Milicic.

"With only 20 places in this squad and 18 for Tokyo should we qualify, every player will need to show their best in this upcoming camp and help the nation take another step towards the Olympic Games," he added.

Group B features Vietnam, Myanmar and group hosts South Korea. The top two teams from each group will advance to a two-legged play-off round, with the winners of one group facing the runners-up of the other.

The two play-off winners will join hosts Japan at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.