Speaking for the first time since being linked to the head coaching role of the Swedish men’s team, ahead of two year-ending clashes in Canada where a raft of new faces are set to get an opportunity, Gustavsson said he had spoken to his players about the reports.

Gustavsson, who is contracted to the Matildas until the Paris Games, was reported to be one of the three final candidates to fill the vacant role for a team that has slipped below the Socceroos on the FIFA world rankings.

Several players in recent days have declared the “noise” around Gustavsson wouldn’t impact them, and without declaring where his future lay beyond Paris, the Matildas boss said they were all aware such speculation was part of the business of the world game.

“The interest in this team is going to keep growing, which means there’s always going to be speculation whether it’s about me or a player,” Gustavsson said in his pre-match press conference in British Columbia.

“What I want to be clear on though that’s important to me is that my sole focus is on the Matildas and making (them) qualify for the Olympics and we have unfinished business with this team.

“And I’ve said that from day one, and I know that there’s always going to be people that interpret that quote differently and speculate about this.

“But the one thing that I want to be very, very clear on is that I am extremely passionate working with this team. I love this team.”

Gustavsson said he had a “very, very, very close relationship with the players” and made sure to address the report with them, conscious of getting on top of anything that could “disturb our performance”.

“One thing would be speculation about the coach’s future,” he said.

“We’re always open about everything and what I really love with this team is the professionalism.

“They say ‘it’s part of the business. Let’s move on, let’s get prepared for the Olympics’. This is about the next training and the next game and that’s what we’re focused on.‘”

Without a host of injured players, including captain Sam Kerr, who was ruled out with a foot injury, and No.1 goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold, Gustavsson said the two clashes with the Olympic champions could help expose more players to international football and strengthen his squad’s depth.

“You’re gonna see a lot of new faces in this first game. We really need to take this opportunity and be brave enough to do it,” he said.

“We’re in a process now where we need to test players to see who can earn a spot in the Olympic roster but also test things and what we’re doing now in terms of developing our playing style.

“To do that against a top-ranked team away is a perfect opportunity for us and I don’t want to miss that window.”

The Matildas will play the first game on Saturday afternoon before a second clash in Vancouver on December 5.