A small slice of Matildas soccer history will be made on Sunday (Monday 0100 AEDT) when an Australian woman will follow a path blazed for Aussie men by Liverpool's Craig Johnston in 1986, and win an FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium.
The only question, as Chelsea face Arsenal in the women's final, is who?
The Blues have Australia's captain, Sam Kerr, in a glittering front line. In Arsenal red will be likely one, possibly two, potentially three Matildas with Steph Catley, Caitlin Foord and Lydia Williams in their ranks.
All four have flown back across the world after Australia's two home matches against the United States, but jet lag is unlikely to prevent Australian involvement on both sides.
Chelsea manager Emma Hayes said Kerr felt and looked much fresher than the last time she made the trip, adding: "Sam is a top professional.
"We have recovery plans for these players and she'll be fit and ready to go. She's [already] bouncing around."
Foord was rested from the second Australia-USA match as an injury precaution and could begin alongside Williams on the bench with Catley starting.
Nevertheless, she said of the tie: "It's huge. It's exciting, I can't wait. I've never played at Wembley before. It's obviously a stadium that everyone talks about, and you want to be in those games playing there.
"I'm just looking forward to the experience and hopefully winning my first trophy with Arsenal."
The first Australian to play in a Wembley women's final was Matilda Hayley Raso, who was in the Everton side beaten 3-1 last year by her current club Manchester City.
The first to both win the FA Cup and score in the final was Kristy Moore in 2002 and 2003 respectively, a feat largely overlooked at the time given the low profile of the women's game back then.
Though an England international, Moore was born in Adelaide, where she finished her career with the Reds in 2014, and had previously played for Australia.
Moore's goal in Fulham Ladies' win over Charlton in 2003 is thought to be the first scored in the women's final by a player from outside the British Isles.
That, though, was at Selhurst Park, home of Crystal Palace, before the final moved to Wembley in 2015.
This is the 50th final, on the 100th anniversary of the FA banning women's football.
Despite COVID-19 delaying this showpiece to wintry December, ticket sales exceed the 45,423 who saw the same match-up in May 2018.
If they all show up, it will be a record gate for a competitive women's club game in England.
Australian Associated Press
