91Èȱ¬

When England face Australia on Wednesday in the semi-final of the Women's World Cup, they will be on familiar ground.

This is the third time the Lionesses have reached the last four.

But for the Aussies, this is all new.

The Matildas have gone further than any Australian team - men or women - in a World Cup.

This team are already history makers.

So who are they? What can the Lionesses expect? Who should they be wary of? And what do the Australian fans think of their team?

Here are five things you need to know about the Matildas.

In 1994, having qualified for their first ever World Cup, the Australian women's football team needed their own identity.

Until this point, they were named "The Female Socceroos".

But Australia's Special Broadcast Service and the Australian Soccer Federation ran a fan-voted phone poll to rename the team.

The five options were, The Soccertoos, The Blue Flyers (the name often used for a female red kangaroo) The Waratahs (a plant native to Australia), the Lorikeets (a colourful bird in the parrot family), or The Matildas (named after a famous Australian song Waltzing Matilda).

The Matildas was the winner, and despite the team being unhappy with it to begin with, it stuck.

The coach of the Australian women's football team is Tony Gustavsson.

He has been in charge since September 2020 having previously been an assistant coach for the four-time champions, the United States.

Gustavsson, who is 49 year old, played for various small clubs in his home country of Sweden, but his success has certainly been as a women's coach.

He led Tyresö to the 2014 Champions League final.

He then helped the Matildas achieve their best result at an Olympics, finishing fourth at the postponed 2020 Games in Tokyo.

He is known for being an emotional coach, and was seen bursting into tears when Cortnee Vine scored the winning penalty in the shootout against France in the quarter-final.

You can't mention the Matildas without talking about Sam Kerr.

The captain, who was born in Western Australia, is often hailed as the best forward in the world.

She hasn't played much in this tournament due to injury, but the Lionesses will have to be hugely wary of Kerr and her goal-scoring prowess.

Kerr is the only player to have won the golden boot (awarded for being the top goal scorer that year) in three different leagues.

She plays for Chelsea so will be up against team-mate Millie Bright on Wednesday... but who will come out on top?

91Èȱ¬ Sport pundit and former England goalkeeper Karen Bardsley has identified the midfield pairing of Kyra Cooney-Cross and Katrina Gorry as a threat to the Lionesses.

She says they have "developed a strong partnership that has improved over the course of the tournament."

But the defence are just as mighty and determined thanks to Alanna Kennedy and a highly experienced goalkeeper in Mackenzie Arnold.

Another player England need to be wary of is forward Mary Fowler - described as an "exceptionally skilful player with superb technical ability and balance".

Speaking of which...

The 20-year-old Manchester City player is a formidable young talent, but many people ask the same thing when they see her play.

Why does Mary Fowler wear black gloves?

In a recent interview, Mary said the reason she keeps her gloves on is because she is a self-confessed fidget.

"I honestly just wear gloves because I get really fidgety. Usually I train with a ring on, but if it's cold, I wear gloves, and I can't wear a ring in a match, so I usually wear gloves."

There is no doubt the Australian public are fully behind their team.

The quarter-final against France had the biggest TV audience for a sporting event for almost two decades.

And the record is likely going to be challenged when the Matildas face England on Wednesday.

The stadium crowd is also likely to be almost entirely Aussie fans, so the Lionesses will have to fight hard to silence them.

The age-old sporting rivalry of England and Australia has spread across rugby, cricket, netball and now, it's football's turn.

But there is only one spot in the final up for grabs at the end of this match.

Find out who is going to snatch it on Wednesday, 11am on 91Èȱ¬ One.