Taylor excited to see his players go head-to-head for England and Australia in World Cup semi-final | OneFootball

Gareth Taylor is looking forward to seeing a number of his City players lock horns in the World Cup semi-final as Australia face England.

The Lionesses (armed with Lauren Hemp, Alex Greenwood, Chloe Kelly, Esme Morgan and Laura Coombs) take on the Matildas, who possess Mary Fowler and Alanna Kennedy, at Stadium Australia in Sydney at 11:00 (UK).

The winner will secure passage into the prestigious showpiece to face Spain on Sunday 20 August at 11:00 (UK) after they beat Filippa Angeldahl's Sweden 2-1 on Tuesday.

Taylor, who spoke to Sky Sports News ahead of the game, expressed how no matter who wins the semi-final, it’s a positive for City to have so many players featuring in the latter stages of the competition.

“I’m not nervous [about the game]. Regardless of whatever happens, we [City] win,” said Taylor.

“Matildas going through or Lionesses going through. So for us it’ll be a good game to watch, it will be fascinating I think to see how it unfolds.”

WATCH: Watch: Our stars use CITYPLAY in training

Taylor continued to explain that England have perhaps played under the weight of expectation across the competition following their success at the 2022 Euros.

For Australia, however, playing in front of a home crowd – as well as competing in a World Cup semi-final for the first time in their history – adds a different level of pressure.

This has left both national team managers looking to guide their teams off the pitch before they take to it on Wednesday morning.

“I think it’s a skill of most coaches that they try and play down the kind of situation whether they are underdogs or no one wants to be the favourite for the game because that brings expectation,” explained Taylor.

“But I think the teams are pretty level. Australia have got real good home support behind them, I was really impressed with the Australian crowd in terms of how they got behind the team. 80 odd thousand in that stadium, it has an advantage for sure and they have to try and make it a cauldron and make it difficult for England.

“I think obviously in the England camp you’ve got to try and quiet the crowd as much as you possibly can and that’s just controlling the early stages of the game.”

WATCH: Watch: First City players report for training

Both Greenwood for England and Fowler for Australia have enjoyed stellar tournaments so far.

The England defender has been pivotal for Wiegman’s side when they came under heavy pressure from Nigeria and Colombia in their recent knockout matches, making key interceptions and tackles throughout both games.

City's electric striker on the other hand hasn’t shied away from the opportunity of making her mark in her home country.

In her four appearances she has scored one goal while also providing an impressive attacking threat for the Matildas consistently.

“Alex [Greenwood] is a top player,” said Taylor when asked about her performances at the tournament. “I think she’s really shown her quality on the world stage.

“Started the tournament at left back, gone back into a more familiar position and looks really solid there.

“She feels more comfortable playing in that position although she’ll do a job for the team and she understands that and that’s kind of what she’s like as a leader. A very quiet leader, very confident in what she does.”

When asked about Fowler and having her ability at City, Taylor said: “We secured Mary for a long contract and I think that, hopefully, we’re going to see the very best of her and I’m sure we will.

“The signs we’ve seen from Mary, I think you’ve seen that in the World Cup as well, is really exciting, she’s a talented player, is a young player and has a lot of experience behind her already.”