MELBOURNE, Australia -- Australia coach Tony Gustavsson admits that he probably won't know exactly what kind of role Sam Kerr can play in his side's do-or-die clash with Canada until the team bus is pulling into Melbourne Rectangular Stadium. What he is more certain of, however, is that a failure by the Matildas to get out of their group at a home FIFA Women's World Cup represents an unambiguous failure.
After missing Australia's opening two fixtures of the tournament, Kerr fronted journalists at the team's Brisbane training base on Saturday, bringing to a head one of the biggest talking points of this year's tournament: could she feature against the reigning Olympic champions? And if she could, for how long and in what sort of role?
The answer to the first, at least, was yes, the Chelsea superstar stating that she was "definitely going to be available". The response to the second, though, that she wasn't telling, only going so far as to say "How we decide to use that is not to be given to the opposition".
Matters weren't made any clearer on Sunday when Gustavsson repeatedly refused to directly answer questions from Optus Sport as to if Kerr had trained that morning. She had been seen on the training track in boots towards the end of the media's 15 minutes of access to training that morning but had not done much of anything before the press pack was ushered away.
Needless to say, Kerr's health was quickly raised when the coach fronted his FIFA-mandated press conference on Sunday evening.
"We're gonna have a meeting tonight with the medical team and Sam and discuss what the possibility is for her to play tomorrow," Gustavsson said. "And then we're going to do some tests tomorrow to see what it looks like.
"Everyone that's been in sports, they know about calf injuries; it's one thing that you're available but there's also risk when you come back from a muscle injury. And I think everyone understands that.
"There's a lot on the table to discuss and we probably don't know how exactly we're going to use that until we're coming into the stadium tomorrow."
Ostensibly, not knowing if you'll be able to field one of the most feared attackers in the world 24 hours out from a crunch fixture isn't ideal, especially given that the rest of the Matildas on the pitch will inevitably take on different roles depending upon if the 29-year-old is on the field or in the dugout.
Gustavsson, though, said this had been accounted for: players prepared to play in one lineup without Kerr and one with her.
"Everybody knows exactly what we've prepped for if Sam's on the park, this is what it looks like and if she's not on the park, this is what it looks like," he said.
"The player's potential plans for starting or being in the finishing lineup... have also been informed."
There is little question that Kerr wouldn't be being considered to feature on Monday if Australia had already ensured progression from Group B but, with Australia sitting third heading into Monday, the stakes may be forcing the Matildas' hand.
Regardless of the result of Nigeria's simultaneous kickoff with Ireland, a draw will be enough for Canada to progress from the group, while Australia, realistically, needs a win to progress and avoid a cataclysmic failure.
"I definitely think it's fair to say it's a failure if we don't go out of the group," said Gustavsson.
"I'm the first to admit that, I'll take ownership for that."
And the Swede also knows that his legacy is on the line.
"That's how this business works," said Gustavsson. "I think it's a massive game in that sense, and we can't shy away from that. We've spoken a couple of times before about legacy and the legacy and the why about this team. And you know, long-term legacy, it's a different type of question.
"But if you talk about sports and results, this game is massive.
"We can't shy away from that, this is a critical moment."