Australia to harness home support | The Express Tribune
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MELBOURNE: Australia coach Tony Gustavsson said Thursday his team plan to use big home crowds as extra "fuel" to amplify their high-octane game as they look to stamp their mark on the Women's World Cup . The Matildas meet world number five France in Melbourne on Friday in their final warm-up game in front of a sell-out 50,000-strong crowd -- the largest ever on home soil for the women's team. The record won't last, with more than 80,000 expected for their clash with Ireland in Sydney on July 20 to open the month-long tournament they are co-hosting with New Zealand . Gustavsson said his side would fully harness the support of home fans. "I think we look at it as fuel and we look at it as belief," the Swedish coach said. "(The big crowds) are a source of strength that this team will embrace, and I think also use when we play this high-octane, pressing, attacking-minded game." Star defender Ellie Carpenter, who will have an in...