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Matildas' delay forces W-League shuffle

3 minute read

The coronavirus outbreak-related rescheduling of the Matildas' Olympic qualifiers has led to two W-League fixtures also being changed to new dates.

The rescheduling chaos created by China's coronavirus over the Matildas' Olympic qualifiers has spilled over into the W-League.

FFA announced on Saturday two matches had been deferred by a day due to the extended time frame of Australia's qualifying tournament in Sydney.

The Matildas, who began the third round of Asian qualifying with a thumping 7-0 win on Friday night over Taiwan, face China in their final match of Group B on a rescheduled date of Thursday.

The Melbourne Victory-Melbourne City and Perth-Brisbane matches were both set to be played next Saturday, but both games will be played on Sunday week.

FFA head of leagues Greg O'Rourke said the decision was made to ensure Matildas players had adequate recovery time between their international and club commitments.

"With 13 of the Matildas involved in these two fixtures, we had to amend the schedule to ensure that the players had an appropriate amount of recovery time between their international match on Thursday and their Westfield W-League match," O'Rourke said in a statement.

"Since Westfield W-League 2020 Finals Series positions are on the line, we believed that moving these matches to Sunday would allow these players to be at their best when they play such important fixtures."

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