Speaking to Tara Rushton after the announcement of his 23-player on Tuesday morning, Milicic said he has been racking up the frequent flyer miles to not only monitor the Australian players but taking the opportunity to see some World Cup opponents. 

“There was a lot of review coming out of the US camp as well but at the same time, I’ve been fortunate to have gone over to Italy a couple of times, where a lot of the national team players are based," Milicic said.

"So individually, I've seen them, which has given me good guidance into what kind of opponent we're going to expect in our first game and I must say that they've really invested a lot into the women's game.

"Make no mistake, I'm happy with the preparation we've got in front of us and I'm confident will be a very well prepared, not only for the first game but for the whole tournament."

Since coming to the helm of the Matildas in February, Milicic has heavily rotated the squad to have a look at all the players across all possible positions. 

Overall there have been 28 players take the field in the Matildas' last four games. Players who haven't been around the Matildas for a year or more earned call ups under Milicic including France-bound Teagan Micah and Teigen Allen.

However, there were a few surprises when the 23-player squad headed to France was announced.

Kyah Simon, who has featured at two previous World Cups, was one of those experienced players to miss out.

The 27-year-old had surgery on her ankle in January after injuring it during Melbourne City's win over Canberra in December. Simon hurt her Syndesmosis but scans revealed there was more extensive damage to her ankle.

Milicic did name Simon as a standby player alongside Young Matilda Kyra Cooney-Cross, however, he ultimately didn't want to risk bringing her into the 23. 

He added: "Kyah is a fantastic footballer, make no mistake about that, she's got a lot of experience but when I've been following her match minutes and her football that she's played both in club land and international football, particularly last 18 months, it has dropped off a bit."