SYDNEY, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Australian women's football head coach Joe Montemurro said on Friday he has identified "a couple of weaknesses" in the Japanese side that his team hopes to exploit in the AFC Women's Asian Cup final.
The match in Sydney on Saturday night will be the third time at the last four Women's Asian Cup tournaments that Australia has played Japan for the title, with Japan triumphing 1-0 in 2014 and 2018.
The Japanese were victorious 4-0 in their most recent match against Australia in February 2025, but Montemurro, who was appointed in June, told reporters on the eve of the final that his team is better prepared to exploit Japan's weaknesses this time.
"As great a team as they are, they do have a couple of weaknesses. I'm not going to divulge those. We think if we find some continuity and some rhythm with the ball, we could do some good things in the game," he said.
Montemurro said that there would be no favorites in the final as his team prepares to take on world No. 6 Japan.
"There's no favorite in the final," he said. "It's the best team and the one who wants it more, and the one who is smart enough to manage the moments. If we manage the moments, we'll do well in the game tomorrow."
Montemurro said that setting the tone in the opening 15 minutes of the match would be very important for the Australian team.
"If you set that tone at the start, then you can settle and manage the pressure and manage the moments better," he said. "The first 15 minutes are going to be crucial."
Victory on Saturday night would cap off a dominant run for Japan, who entered the tournament as the top-ranked Asian team and has scored 28 goals and conceded only once in their five matches so far.
Australia, who won the Women's Asian Cup for the only time in 2010, has faced a harder path to the final, beating DPR Korea and defending champion China 2-1 in the quarter and semifinals, respectively.
Speaking separately on Friday, Japan's Danish coach Nils Nielsen said that whichever team minimizes their own weaknesses and adapts best during the game will win the final.
He said that the Japanese team can play faster than almost any other team in the world and that any individual player can shine on a given day.
"When they have the day and the moment where they are in the zone, it's incredible to watch, and I enjoy it very much," Nielsen said.
The final will kickoff at 8 p.m. Australian Eastern Daylight Time on Saturday (0900 GMT) at Sydney's 79,500-capacity Stadium Australia. ■
