AFC Women's Asian Cup
With automatic qualification for the FIFA Women's World Cup 2027 also on the line, Kerr expects Australia to produce a high level of intensity against the three-time winners.
“I think tomorrow is all about winning at all costs and hopefully securing World Cup qualification as well,” said Kerr. “We know the quality that we need to produce when we play at the AFC Women’s Asian Cup, so there’s always a unique challenge compared to club football or European matches.”
The Chelsea forward, a top-three finisher in the Ballon d'Or Feminin on three occasions, wants the Matildas to focus on themselves rather than their opponents.
“We have discussed DPR Korea, since we knew who we would be facing earlier. It was good to get a small preview the other day (watching the DPR Korea-China PR match), so we have an idea of what to expect. At the end of the day, though, the main focus is on ourselves and our own game.”
Australia will enjoy strong home support in Perth but Kerr cautioned that they will be facing a highly motivated DPR Korea side.
“We have been building as we go. I don’t think we’ve reached our top performance yet but that’s the exciting part. We are saving our best for tomorrow. Each game we’ve played, we have improved and hopefully that continues. It’s a good sign that we haven’t peaked too early and I believe the best is yet to come.
“I think that’s probably the key characteristic they (DPR Korea) have always had and still have – never giving up. As for us, we need to be ready to match that resilience and bring our own game.”
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