It is likely that few, if any coaches in the history of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup have been in the situation faced by Stajcic. 

Having taken the Matildas to the final at the 2014 and 2018 editions , his tenure ended abruptly early in 2019, with the 48-year-old spending time in men’s club football before emerging as the new Philippines head coach on the eve of India 2022. 

Much was made of Stajcic’s ties to the Matildas when the draw was made in late October, but while he retains a deep knowledge of the Australian squad, he is firmly focused on guiding his new team to greater heights. 

“It’s obviously going to be an interesting game for me personally,” he said. 

“In a coaching role like this when you coach another national team, it’s such an honour. My allegiance to where I was born and raised will get put to one side. I’m fully behind this Philippine team that I've spent the last three months with. We’ve developed a really special bond there."

“They’ve already had a special bond with each other for a long period of time, the core group of players. I feel privileged to be allowed to come into that family and into that close knit circle. They’re like a family unit in this playing group and they've really welcomed me with open arms. 

“We’re going to do everything we possibly can to give them the best chance of representing their country at the best level they can. And we saw a good example of that against Thailand.” 

The Thailand game was a watershed moment for the Philippines, who had never beaten their regional rivals in 12 attempts at the senior level, and had their semi-final hopes dashed by Chaba Kaew in the 2018 AFC Women’s Asian Cup in Jordan. 

With goal scorer Chandler McDaniel and Sweden-based debutant Katrina Guillou making stellar contributions, the win against the Thais provided an indication what the Philippines team is capable of under Stajcic, but the experienced boss said they must quickly turn their attention to the challenge against the tournament’s highest ranked contender. 

“It’s a big weight off the shoulders of the players who’ve been in this team for a long time,” he said. 

“In that respect, it’s fantastic but ultimately we’ve got a big game against Australia who are such a powerful team and one of the best teams in the world. We really need to refocus for the next game.” 

Australia had journalists racing for the record books as they issued a show of strength to the entire competition against Indonesia on Friday, but they are sure to be given a sterner test by the Philippines. 

Matildas boss Tony Gustavsson deftly explained that his choice to deploy a virtual full-strength line-up against the Indonesians was based on chemistry and match fitness in Friday’s post-match press conference, but the Swedish boss insists his team will play the same way going forward, regardless of personnel or formation. 

“We worked on two different formations - 3-4-3 and 4-3-3 - throughout the last 12 months,” he said. “So we have the flexibility to go in and out from those two different shapes. The one thing that is always going to stay the same, though, is the way we play. 

“We’re always going to be a high-octane, high-energy running team that presses a lot and wins the ball back in attacking areas. We’re going to be attacking minded in everything we do. 

“The formation is a tool to apply the principles, but the DNA and the core values of this team are always going to be the same.” 

With Sam Kerr scoring five goals against Indonesia and Emily van Egmond netting a hat-trick, Australia comes into the tournament with the top two goal scorers, and five of the top eight. 

Australia and the Philippines have met only once before, with the Matildas easing to a 7-0 win in the 2008 AFF Championship. 

PHILIPPINES v AUSTRALIA
Mumbai Football Arena, Mumbai
Kick-off: 15:30 (UTC+5:30)