Matildas vice-captain Emily van Egmond sees Japan as the benchmark nation they must match and overcome to win the Asian Cup next year.

The Matildas suffered a 4-0 loss to Japan at the She Believes Cup in February, before going down to the USA and Colombia to finish last on the ladder.

Japan's finished top after defeating the Australians, Colombia and the hosts - scoring 10 goals in the process.

Those three wins propelled Japan to fifth in the world, while the Matildas slumped to 16th, their lowest ranking in 20 years.

However, Tom Sermanni's side's eyes are on hosting the Women's Asian Cup, a competition they haven't won in 15 years.

Preparations continue with two friendlies against South Korea, the team that knocked them out of the previous edition, on Friday in Sydney and Monday in Newcastle.

However, the Matildas will be without West Ham's Katrina Gorry after she sustained an ankle injury against Chelsea on Monday morning (AEDT).

Melbourne City's Leah Davidson, who scored in green and gold in December, will replace the veteran midfielder.

"Playing Japan in the opening game was good to see the level now," van Egmond said.

"We've been exposed to three different oppositions, Japan, Colombia and the US. We're looking to collect ourselves again and have a good performance.

"Especially going into an Asian Cup, if we can put our full focus into that game on Friday, there's no reason why we can't get the outcome that we want at the cup."

The Matildas will take on their Asian rivals for the first time since a late goal denied them a third consecutive Asian Cup semi-finals berth.

South Korea went on to finish runners up, but have since struggled to make an international impact - missing out on Olympic qualification after draws with China and North Korea last year.

Although they are on a three-game winning run, they haven't beaten a top-10 side since August 2015.

The Matildas haven't defeated a top-10 side since Germany last October, so van Egmond isn't taking South Korea lightly.

"We know what they're capable of. They're a great team. They're a technical team. So for us, it's making sure we nullify what they put to us," she said.

"It feels like years ago now. That was a heartbreak for us to concede in the last couple of minutes. It was not a nice feeling.

"It's unbelievable for Leah (Davidson). She made her debut, and she got a goal. So for her to get another call up is a great achievement."