Australia have broken new ground in advancing to the quarter-finals and Tom Sermanni's team have done so in style, going unbeaten in China so far. The Brazilians are equally buoyant after recording three straight wins without conceding a single goal.
The game
Brazil-Australia, Tianjin, Sunday 23 September,
20:00 (local time)
The stakes
Jorge Barcellos' team have been at pains to point out
they are in China to make history by lifting the trophy. Opponents
Australia, meanwhile, reached new heights after scrambling a draw
against Canada in their last group game but while morale is high in
the Aussie camp, caution is the watchword as they prepare for
Sunday's assignment.
Despite a struggle to find the breakthrough against Denmark in their final group fixture, the South Americans showed the strength in depth that has made them one of the tournament favourites. With Marta and Cristiane failing to get on the score-sheet, Pretinha stepped into the breach with the only goal of the game, becoming the first Brazil player to score in three different finals competitions.
The players
Although she still has to wear special protection
on her recently operated shoulder, defender Rosana returned to
action in the group stage. While Brazil have no selection worries
ahead of Sunday's clash, Australia are sweating on defender
Thea Slatyer's hip injury.
The past
Brazil boast the better head-to-head record having
prevailed in four of the six encounters between the two sides, with
the Australians winning the other two. The most recent meetings
came at the Women's Olympic Football Tournaments at Sydney 2000
and Athens 2004, where the
Canarinhas secured narrow wins on both occasions, 2-1 and
1-0 respectively.
The birthday girl
Joanne Burgess turns 28 on Sunday, and the Matildas
striker will no doubt be wishing for the Australian dream to
continue for a little longer when she blows the candles out.
The words
Australia will be extremely tough quarter-final
opponents but I'm very confident we can get a positive result.
Brazil have come to China to make history -
Jorge Barcellos, Brazil coach
The first objective we set ourselves in this tournament was to win a game, and the second was to reach the quarter-finals. Our next match will be difficult, very difficult. The Brazil side has a lot of skill and talent, and they've also got a girl called Marta, who is probably the best footballer around at the moment. We won't be lacking in confidence though - Tom Sermanni, Australia coach
