Portugal Colonial - Australia vow to entertain in bid for Women's Asian Cup glory

The Matildas have only lifted the trophy once in 20 editions of the competition -- in 2010.

They were runners-up in 2014 and 2018 and are determined to get on the winners' podium once again as hosts of the tournament from March 1-21.

"My remit in the way I approach the game is always to play a brand of football that excites, to play a brand of football that's going to be proactive," said Montemurro, who previously coached Arsenal, Juventus and Lyon.

"And one of the things that's important to me is that we play a brand (of football) that is going to put in a good showcase... you'll be entertained."

The squad is led by Chelsea star Kerr who will captain the team at her fifth Asian Cup.

Fellow stalwarts Catley, Ellie Carpenter, Alanna Kennedy, Caitlin Foord, Hayley Raso, Katrina Gorry, Mackenzie Arnold, Kyra Cooney-Cross and Emily van Egmond underpin the side.

Manchester City's Fowler was included in a Matildas squad for the first time since April last year despite just 15 minutes of game time since undergoing knee reconstruction.

Montemurro also named eight players who will contest their first Asian Cup, including Tottenham defender Clare Hunt and Newcastle striker Kaitlyn Torpey.

All but two of the 26 players are based overseas, including 13 with English clubs.

"A tournament of this nature -- and we've seen many tournaments, whether it's the men's World Cup, women's World Cup -- brings up a lot of surprises," said Montemurro.

"It's not a situation of a league, where you can sort of plan and rotate accordingly.

"It's very, very important that we're prepared for quick turnarounds.

"But the biggest thing for me was to make sure that we cover all scenarios. So if we needed to change system, if we needed to change structure, we could do that quickly."

Australia kick off the tournament against the Philippines in Perth on March 1.

They are also grouped with Iran and South Korea.

H.Portela--PC