Aston Villa forward Gielnik feeling good ahead of Cup of Nations after overcoming injuries | OneFootball

Aston Villa forward Emily Gielnik says that she is in a good place as she prepares to represent Australia at the 2023 Cup of Nations.

The forward is a member of Australia head coach Tony Gustavsson’s 25-player squad for the mini-tournament. The CommBank Matildas will face Czechia, Spain and Jamaica over the next seven days as they step up their preparations for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023.

Forward Gielnik has been battling off a couple of troublesome injuries in recent months but she is now back to full fitness, playing football for her club and she is very much ready to go for the 2023 Cup of Nations.

“I’ve been really good,” Gielnik said when speaking to Football Australia. “I’m still suffering from the same thing in England and that’s the freezing cold.

“I had an unfortunate sequence of back-to-back calf injuries and I’ve finally regrouped from this last one. It has been a long, painful process; it was not something that I ever thought I’d go through as I believed that my calves were as strong as an ox. Finally, I’m through that rehab stage and I’ve been building with Aston Villa with back-to-back minutes.

“I finally feel like I’m in a good and comfortable place. I’m feeling strong, I’m getting fitter and I’m ready to go for this next tournament.”

With the strong backing of the Club, Aston Villa head coach Carla Ward has been able to build a hugely competitive squad and The Villans have impressed on a regular basis this season. Forward Gielnik knows that after you have been out injured, you have to fight hard to win back your place in the team when you are fit again.

She said “Match time is so important. What you struggle with the most is when you get an injury at a big club like Aston Villa, there’s always someone else ready to take your place, so it’s hard to get myself back into the team.

“I’m grinding it out, I’m slowly getting those minutes. For me, it is just important to keep working hard in training and building those minutes when they do come at the weekend.

“I’ve been fortunate to play in the last few games back-to-back and I’ve got a considerable amount of minutes which helps with confidence and that game fitness. That’s something that you can’t really compare with training. I’ve had a taste of it and I’m feeling in really good form. I’m happy, I’m feeling well, I’m training well and I’m just ready to go.”

Gielnik will hope to play a part for Australia when they take on Czechia in their opening 2023 Cup of Nations match tomorrow morning.