Key Points
- The Matildas will play France in their next Women's World Cup match.
- The game is at Brisbane's Lang Park and will kick off at 5pm AEST.
- The winner will go on to play the winner of England v Colombia, which starts at 8.30pm AEST.
The Matildas have always believed they can win this Women's World Cup and now the rest of Australia is daring to dream too.
They insist they're not letting that pressure weigh heavily on their shoulders ahead of Saturday's clash against France at Lang Park in Brisbane, kicking off at 5pm AEST.
The winner will go on to play the winner of England v Colombia, which starts at 8.30pm AEST.
Where to watch the Matildas' next match
Live sites for Saturday's Quarterfinal against France are popping up everywhere, while broadcaster Channel Seven is pushing back its main evening news bulletin to show the game on the main channel across all states and territories.
As a result, the blockbuster AFL clash between Carlton and Melbourne has been pushed back, while the Matildas game is expected to be screened live at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) and Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
Optus Sport's coverage will be streamed on screens at the MCG, SCG, and outside Perth Stadium, coinciding with AFL fixtures.
Sydney Olympic Park will also set up three live sites, such is the demand.
Negotiations are ongoing between AFL officials and FIFA around how much of the World Cup match will be shown on the MCG's two big screens before the Melbourne-Carlton fixture.
Against France, Australia's head-to-head record from eight games is four wins, one draw, and three losses.
This includes the friendly Australia won just before the World Cup.
Australia beat Les Bleues 1-0, courtesy of a second-half Mary Fowler goal, in their final warm-up game in Melbourne on 14 July.
As a young centre-back growing up in country New South Wales, Clare Hunt had two footballing heroes: Matildas great Clare Polkinghorne and France legend Wendie Renard.
In her rapid rise to the top, she's replaced one. To take the Matildas to the next level, she'll have to vanquish the other.
It's a challenge Hunt will embrace in Saturday's Women's World Cup Quarterfinal at Lang Park.
"Wendie Renard was a role model for me. I saw her composure at a young age and wanted to emulate that in some way," Hunt told reporters on Thursday.
"I feel like I know the way that Wendie plays because I used to watch her as a kid.
When the team is playing they're not thinking about the pressure to perform, Hunt said.
"The way we visualise it is that we don't feel that pressure as a negative cloud," she said.
She said the pressure "presents itself as a positive light."
"We feel supported by the Australian public, we feel backed by the Australian public, we feel supported in what we're doing.
"We're thinking about representing our amazing country and we're playing a style of football that we're proud of."
France's attack, led by Kadidiatou Diani and Eugénie Le Sommer, has clicked into gear as the tournament has progressed, culminating in a 4-0 thumping of Morocco in Tuesday night's Round of 16 clash.
France midfielder Kenza Dali says Les Bleues are ready for the anticipated hostile reception in Brisbane on Saturday when they face off against Australia in their Women's World Cup Quarterfinal clash.
After dispatching Morocco in the Round of 16 in Adelaide on Tuesday, Dali is under no illusions about what France can expect from the home crowd.
The Aston Villa playmaker said each time France has stepped out onto the park this tournament, it has felt like an away match – the perfect preparation for squaring off against the Matildas on home soil in a knockout World Cup fixture.
"The crowd is going to be against us," Dali said.
"I feel like this World Cup, everywhere we played the crowd was against us, and at the moment it's good (preparation) for us, so it's up to us to handle the pressure (against Australia)."
Dali, who scored France's second goal in the near-flawless performance against Morocco, kept a close eye on Australia's 2-0 Round of 16 victory over Denmark on Monday.
The 32-year-old praised the Matildas and singled out Caitlin Foord who was instrumental in Australia's win. Dali also cautioned about reading too much into the pre-tournament friendly encounter between the two sides, where the Matildas defeated France 1-0.
"When we played this game, we were still in preparation, even Australia; it's going to be a completely different game Saturday night," she said.
"It (Australia) is a fantastic team and they play with a lot of freedom. They look like they really enjoyed it and they handled the pressure well."
