The Philippines’ resolve will be tested early as it takes on host Australia in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup at the Perth Stadium on Sunday.

Kick off will be at 5 p.m. (Manila time) as the Filipinas look to make a statement against the powerhouse Matildas.

The Philippines hope to continue the momentum it had in its gold medal conquest in the 33rd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games last December.

Head coach Mark Torcaso believes a lot has changed for the Filipinas since their sorry 0-8 loss to the Matildas in the 2024 AFC Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

What makes the upcoming match interesting is the fact both sides will face each other in the same venue two years later.

“Yeah, I think from my perspective there’s a lot of learnings since we played Australia last time. I think it was only our second, third game in charge after a very small Asian Games campaign,” Torcaso said.

“It was very overwhelming in that first tournament that we had but I think in the two and a half years that now we’ve been in the role, not only me but the staff, I think we’ve learned so much about this team, about the country, about the people that we’re ready to take on anyone and we’ll do our absolute best.”

The Philippines had a month-long training camp to ensure that they will be more than ready.

Torcaso’s main game plan against the Matildas, who are led by Women’s Super League striker Sam Kerr, is to be pests for the entire 90 minutes of the match.

“We want to be the most competitive team, everyone. Any opponent that’s going to play us is going to find it difficult,” Torcaso told Australian broadcasting network SBS.