Is Sam Kerr playing against Canada? What do Matildas have to do to advance?

Sam Kerr has been named on the bench for the Matildas' do-or-die clash with Canada at the Women's World Cup. Kerr's troublesome calf has dominated the sporting headlines in Australia for more than a week and as Monday night's showdown with Canada edged closer that only intensified.

Under-fire Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson kept his cards close to his chest, not willing to give a tactical advantage to Australia's rivals by confirming or denying whether his talismanic striker would be fit enough to play against the Olympic Games gold medallists. On Sunday, Kerr declared her availability for the Matildas in a huge boost for Australia's hopes, but what role she would play remained a mystery until an hour before kick-off.

Will Sam Kerr play against Canada?

The simple answer to the question on the lips of Aussie sporting fans is yes, Kerr will feature in some capacity during the heavyweight showdown against Canada that will determine whether the Matildas reach the knockout phase or are eliminated at the group stage. On Monday night it was confirmed that she will come off the bench rather than start.

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Socceroos great Robbie Slater said previously that Kerr simply had to start and that her partnership up front with Caitlin Foord is vital to the Matildas' hopes. Slater argued that bringing Kerr on as a second half substitute would likely mean the Aussies are chasing the game, and such a desperate move would be "another mistake" from the coach.

However, former Matilda Amy Chapman said there was "no chance" Kerr could play the full 90 minutes and argued the 29-year-old would be more effective coming off the bench to cause havoc against a tiring Canadian defence. "Sam's assets are best used on a tired opposition when the game opens up anyways, when both teams are pushing for something. So it would be a complete waste to risk her to do so much defensive running in the first half," she told Optus Sport. If Kerr started and her calf failed to hold up, it would also be a huge psychological blow to Australia.

Matildas coach tight-lipped on what role Sam Kerr will play

Media were given a short glimpse of Kerr in action on Sunday, during a 15-minute open training session window. Kerr pulled on the boots after completing her individual rehabilitation program but Gustavsson once again dodged questions around whether she had taken part in the closed session with teammates, and what role she might play on Monday night.

"Everyone here has been (involved) in sports, they know about calf injuries," he told reporters. "One thing is that you're available but there's also risk when you come back from a muscle injury and I think everyone here understands that.

"So we need to balance how many minutes is she available? What are the risks? If we manage to go through to the playoffs, playing time and so forth. So there's a lot on the table to discuss, and we're probably won't know how exactly we're going to use that until we're coming into the stadium (on Monday night)."

What do the Matildas have to do to advance?

A win against Canada is the only thing that guarantees the Matildas' passage to the knockout phase. There is a slim chance that the Aussies could go through with a draw, but they'd need the winless Ireland to beat group leaders Nigeria, probably by at least two goals.

The Matildas currently sit third in Group B on three points, behind Canada (four points, +1 goal difference) and Nigeria (four points, +1), whose four goals put the Africans on top. A win could see the Matildas top the group if Nigeria drops points against Ireland but anything less than three points leaves Gustavsson's side facing the grim prospect of being the first Matildas team since 2003 not to reach the knockout rounds.

"I definitely think it's fair to say it's a failure if we don't go out of the group," said Gustavsson, whose job is undoubtedly on the line. "I mean, everyone here understands that. Of course we want to go out of the group in a home World Cup, for sure.

"And I'm the first to admit that, I'll take ownership for that but that's not where we are (in terms of) mindset right now. Our mindset is just about playing the game in front of us."

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