Sam Kerr confirms she WILL play in Australia's clash against Denmark

Matildas star Sam Kerr has confirmed she will play in Australia's sudden death World Cup clash against Denmark on Monday night.

The Matildas captain is yet to play in the tournament on home soil due to a calf injury and remained on the bench during their 4-0 win against Olympic gold medallists Canada in their final pool clash .

Kerr confirmed on Saturday that she will play in Australia's do or die clash in Sydney on Monday night where they hope to book a quarter finals berth.

'I'm really excited,' Kerr replied when asked by Nine News how she was feeling.

The reporter asked if she was ready to play on Monday.

'I will play, yep,' Kerr replied.

More than 80,000 fans are expected to pack Sydney's Accor Stadium for the Matilda's must-win clash on Monday night.

A win will see them progress to the final eight while a loss would see the tournament hosts kocked out.

The Matildas are looking very strong as they enter the sudden death stage of this Women's World Cup because of two things: the irrepressible form of Hayley Raso and the decline of some powerhouse squads.

And that is before factoring in injured skipper Sam Kerr who is hoping to play against Denmark in their knockout match in the round of 16 on Monday night.

Heavy-hitting nations including Germany, Brazil and Australia's last start opponents Canada have all been sent home.

When you combine that with the average form displayed this tournament by back-to-back champions the US, the pathway to the trophy has opened up in a big way for the Matildas.

If Kerr is cleared to play alongside the fleet-footed, white-hot Raso, the Matildas will firm every day in the betting.

Raso, with her trademark ribbon in her long hair, scored two crucial goals to set up Australia's early lead against Canada which became a mountain too steep for the Maple Leafs to climb.

'That's just football. It's so unpredictable,' Matildas defender Alanna Kennedy said of the shock failures by some soccer powerhouses.

'You can see all of the lower-ranked teams have a point to prove. The moment the camera was on Morocco, when they found out, was really special.

'It's obviously sad for Germany ... we got close to a taste of it at one point, and it's a horrible feeling. I can't imagine the feeling of being such a big nation and going out so early.

'It's also sad to see big players and big nations bombing out earlier, but I think it's incredible to see the rise of the lower-ranked teams and how the gap is closing.'

The Matildas' pathway to World Cup glory looks like this: They must beat Denmark on Monday night in Sydney - and they have beaten the Danes before.

Then they will likely meet France who they have beaten before as well before a likely showdown with old rivals England in a do-or-die semi-final.

That's if those nations go through as expected.

It's all hypothetical at present but very manageable.

And again, peering into the crystal ball, if Australia wins the semi they may well face the US or more likely the in-form giant killers Japan.

That final will be played at Stadium Australia on August 20.

The US will take on Sweden on Sunday night.

They have Japan and Spain in their path.

Veteran superstar Matilda defender, Claire Polkinghorn said, 'Denmark have a lot of quality players all over the pitch and world-class in their final third.'

'It's definitely going to be a tough job for us to keep them contained, but I think as the games go on, obviously, your defense is going to be key.'

The match is the second time Denmark and Australia will play in a year; the Matildas earned their first win ever over the Danes in a 3-1 friendly in Viborg, Denmark, last October.

'We played them last year, and they started really fast,' Polkinghorne said.

'They like to attack, to get forward. We're definitely going to have to be on our game to nullify that.'

The Matildas round of 16 clash against Denmark will kick off at 8.30pm Monday night.