Paris Olympics 2024: Matildas facing tough challenges as they look to win breakthrough medal in France

The Matildas date with destiny and pursuit of an elusive medal will come to a head at the Paris Olympics. Ahead of their opening group game against Germany early on Friday morning, here’s five burning questions facing the team in France.

How and who replaces Sam Kerr?

Even though entering a major tournament without one of the most prolific goalscorers in the world is not a foreign feeling, and the team have shown they can progress without her, Sam Kerr’s absence still leaves a gaping hole.

Caitlin Foord can play up front, but so strong is her partnership with Arsenal teammate Steph Catley down the wing that sacrificing it comes with a degree of risk, even if Mary Fowler has impressed on the left in recent times.

The next best options are either a revitalised Michelle Heyman, fresh off the A-League Women’s golden boot award, or World Cup hero Cortnee Vine.

Heyman is more physical, a classic back-to-the-goal striker who will provide an option short, while Vine’s pace and runs in behind will theoretically stretch defences and leave more room for Fowler — the likely central attacking midfielder — underneath.

Emily van Egmond could play in a similar role to Heyman where she drops deeper, but it is not her natural position and it was not as if she was dragging defenders all over the shop when she played there at the World Cup.

It may be a matter of tactical circumstance as to who gets the gig each game, but no matter who starts, they will be hard-pressed to replicate Kerr’s astonishing record in front of goal.

Are pre-tournament fitness concerns something, nothing, or everything?

The Matildas’ medical wing in the lead-up to the tournament would have caused stomach somersaults for most fans.

In addition to the absence of Kerr, young attacker Amy Sayer was also ruled out with a torn ACL, while injuries began to pile up in the run-in.

Katrina Gorry’s season with West Ham was prematurely ended by a serious ankle sprain, while PSG defender Clare Hunt suffered a stress fracture in her foot.

Catley, set to captain Australia at the Olympics, has been on a specific training regime in recent weeks as she battles a lower leg injury.

And Foord, arguably their most important player, was a late withdrawal from their warm-up game against Canada, although her issue is reportedly considered minor.

While Gorry and Hunt have overcome their knocks, will their lack of live reps in the build-up manifest itself in some rustiness?

Given the hectic nature of the Olympic schedule and elevated stakes that comes with fewer teams in the tournament, any major mistakes or slow starts could be lethal to their medal hopes.

How has this team evolved from tournaments past?

Einstein posed insanity was doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

Since the Tokyo Olympics, Tony Gustavsson’s Matildas have evolved and changed their style and tactics.

In Tokyo, they played 3-4-3 and went direct — arguably too direct, chipping long, hopeful balls forward and hoping Sam Kerr would get on the end of something.

It worked at times, but made them very predictable to defend, and they finished fourth and missed out on a medal.

At the World Cup, they sat deeper and looked to hit teams on the counter, harnessing their electricity on the break to devastating effect against Canada and Denmark.

But their reliance on the transition game once again came up short when it came to the pointy end of the tournament.

In his first press conference post-World Cup, Gustavsson stressed the need for the Matildas to improve at playing through the lines on the ground, rather than simply lofting balls over them and pre-Olympic friendlies have played deliberate attempts to do this.

Will the Matildas wholeheartedly commit to this style of play come hell or high water, for better or for worse?

Or does it get chucked in the ‘too hard’ pile when the going gets tough?

How will they fare against the giants in their group?

Australia outperformed both the USA and Germany at the World Cup, but it would be folly to expect past results to indicate future performance.

While Zambia have their threats and should not be underestimated, the Matildas’ progression from the group stage will come down to how they combat the two giants.

Germany will dominate the ball and have an array of stars to call upon, such as proven goalscorers Alexandra Popp and Lea Schuller, and have bounced back from their surprising early exit at the World Cup.

The US have been revitalised under former Chelsea boss Emma Hayes, and their athletic superiority means they will be typically gung-ho in how they approach games.

Avoiding losses in both games will be crucial to the Matildas’ path forward, with the top two directly qualifying for the quarter-finals.

Should the Matildas progress as one of the best third-placed teams, they will either face the winner of Group A — likely to be France or Canada — or Group C — either world champions Spain or Japan.

Can they break through and win a medal?

The hunt for silverware has so far eluded this iteration of the Matildas and Tony Gustavsson - so what makes this side different?

Is it the experience of what has come before, two similarly heartbreaking semifinal exits with nothing physical to show for it?

Is it the evolution of the side and their newfound knowledge of what it means to play in high-pressure situations?

Will it come down to Gustavsson’s own experiences and will he rely on substitutes to freshen up the side more than he did at least year’s World Cup?

For all their impressive results, few could argue they deserved to beat Sweden and England in the last Olympic and World Cup semifinals, nor the US and Sweden in the respective third-placed games.

If the Matildas are to take the final step and win a medal, it will likely be all of the above factors, rather than just one or two specifically.