West Ham United midfielder Tameka Yallop is excited at the prospect of Australia meeting Japan later this week.
The 30-year-old agreed to join The Hammers at the end of last season but her immediate focus is the Australian national team with the Olympic Games being just days away.
Yallop is one of 22 players selected by Australian head coach Tony Gustavsson for the Games. The midfielder could pull on the famous gold jersey on Wednesday when the Westfield Matildas take on tournament hosts Japan in their final warm-up game in Kyoto. The player’s new club teammate Mackenzie Arnold is also a member of the Australian squad.
Speaking ahead of the match, Yallop said that the prospect of facing a quality Japanese outfit is one which fills her with excitement.
“I think we love coming up against Japan;” Yallop told Football Media Australia. “We generally play them every year but I think we are excited to get out and play such a quality team and get cohesion back into the team going into our first game against New Zealand.
“It is getting real now (the Olympics), it is getting down to the details, ironing out anything that we need to and solidifying everything that we have been doing over the last five weeks. It’s coming down to the details now and at the pointy end.”
Australia will be judged on their performances and results on the pitch but for now, it is about them adapting to the challenges that an Olympic Games in Japan brings.
Yallop added “It’s good to finally be here in Japan and getting used to the humidity and the heat and to be back with the girls, being together as a group.
“We are just working towards that first game and the game against Japan is a great game to have going into the Games.”
Australia begin their Olympic Games against New Zealand in Tokyo on 21 July before the Westfield Matildas face Sweden in Saitama on 24 July. Gustavsson’s side complete their group fixtures with a match against the world champions, the United States, in Kashima on 27 July.
The tournament will run until 6 August with Yallop expected to link-up with her new West Ham United teammates for pre-season in the weeks leading up to the start of the 2021/2022 campaign.