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."

"After her ankle surgery in January, we needed her to get back and again, going back to form and fitness to test some game time and she did come off the bench against North Carolina a couple of weeks ago but then she just didn't pull up as well as she would have liked.

"When you've had an injury and you've been out for that long there was a little bit of muscle injury after that.

"So I just felt at this stage, it was too much of a risk to bring her in the 23 but at the same time I think she deserves to come into camp and be there be around the group." 

Another player to miss out on the squad was youngster Alex Chidiac. The 20-year-old, who plays for Atletico Madrid, did play against Argentina in the Cup of Nations but wasn't selected for the USA match last month.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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Unfortunately, the former W-League player has only played in four games since March with Atletico with all of those appearances seeing her come off the bench. 

"In the last couple of weeks she hasn't even been in the match day squad. There's just not enough kilometres in the legs for me," Milicic said.

"She really needs to have a look at her situation at the club and look at playing match minutes. That's what's most important particularly for a young player."

The Matildas head to their training camp in Antalya this weekend to begin preparations for the World Cup. The same base used by the Socceroos ahead of their World Cup campaign in Russia last year.

It will offer the chance for the team to reflect on the tactical side of their game before their pre-World Cup friendly against the Netherlands on June 1.

"To go far and deep in this tournament all 23 players are going to be required, they're all gonna have to play a part," Milicic said.

"I know the girls will be ready, I know they're looking forward to it so they just can't wait to start to get to be honest."