Sam Kerr will play in Australia's two internationals against the New Zealand Football Ferns despite missing a second consecutive game for Chelsea, said Matildas coach Joe Montemurro.
The superstar striker sat out Chelsea's 1-1 draw with Champions League foes Barcelona on Friday morning (AEDT) as part of her ACL rehabilitation, having also missed last Sunday's draw with Liverpool.
Kerr suffered her ACL injury in January 2024 while on a Chelsea training trip, but scored on return for the Blues in September before playing her first full 90 minutes in last week's 6-0 thumping of Austrian team St Polten, where she scored twice.
The 32-year-old's injury continued to be monitored by Chelsea, with Montemurro indicating it was always the plan for her to rest from recent club games.
"She's ready to go," he said ahead of upcoming clashes with the Football Ferns in Gosford and Adelaide.
"There was always a period where she was going to be basically offloaded or rested because she's come back from a long time out.
"Chelsea have been great and we've been monitoring it."
It meant Kerr would play on home soil for the first time in two years, with Manchester City starlet Mary Fowler the only must-pick unavailable for the matches on November 28 and December 2.
Fowler was expected back from her own anterior cruciate ligament injury after Christmas.
With their clashes against the Football Ferns taking place in their penultimate international window, Montemurro has mostly settled on the team that would vie for glory at the Asian Cup on home soil in March.
"There will be a little bit of tinkering but mainly stabilising," Montemurro said.
"We did stabilise the squad in [recent matches in] the UK, which was really important.
"But I have to look at different alternatives and different situations to prepare for the tournament... maybe tinkering with a different type of attacking scenario."
Friday marked 100 days until the first match of the Asian Cup, which would be played in Australia for the first time since 2006.
The Matildas would kick off their campaign against the Philippines in Perth on March 1, before taking on Iran and heavyweights South Korea.
"There is the expectation to lift the trophy," Montemurro said.
"We're home and we're in a good space. I'd like to think that that's our goal.
"That's what I'm here for, I'm here to win trophies and get this team winning major tournaments. That's the remit and that's the expectation."
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