The silence on one subject spoke volumes of the Matildas' rise on the world stage. The greatest female footballer of all-time will lead Brazil against Australia on Saturday afternoon but the name "Marta" has barely been mentioned. 

According to Alen Stajcic, that is because Australia have long-surpassed the South American giants on the pitch. The Matildas coach lit the fuse ahead of their blockbuster friendly against Brazil at Penrith, dismissing the threat of the star-studded visitors who he believes will enter the match as underdogs. 

"I don't really care about what they think or who they put on the field. At the end of the day, I know if we play our best, we'll still win," Stajcic said. "I think we've got to that point that we're the better team if we play to our potential and our peak, I don't really care who they put on the field. We've gone past them in terms of ability, it's a case of can we reproduce our best form on every given day."

Some rivalries are contextual, others are just historical. Then there are those that grow organically and Australia's feud with Brazil in women's football falls into the latter category. 

A history of huge clashes, shock results and painful tournament eliminations on both sides has made the South American giants one of the Matildas' fiercest foes. 

It began in 2007 when Brazil eliminated Australia from the Women's World Cup. It was reignited eight years later when the Matildas stunned the Canarinhas at the World Cup in Canada to progress to the quarter-finals, before Brazil exacted their revenge from the penalty spot on home soil at the Olympics. 

The Matildas returned serve with a 6-1 demolition at the recent Tournament of Nations in the US and their star forward Sam Kerr says the tension between the two sets of players is on the verge of becoming hostile. 

"The fact Brazil knocked us out of the Olympics, I'll never like a Brazilian player," Kerr said. "I even feel like there's a bit of tension with them [Brazilian players] in the NWSL [National Women's Soccer League], you go in that extra bit harder. It's always a little bit different when you're playing international players. You play in some of the most important games of your life against them and there's really high stakes."

A rare match at home in a major capital city and their first in Australia since June 2016 has attracted a sell-out crowd at Pepper Stadium in Penrith. There, the Brazilians will likely add more fuel to the flames of the rivalry with Stajcic expecting them to be out for revenge against the Matildas. 

"Definitely," he said. "In the Tournament of Nations they were missing two or three key players, and in our game Marta didn't play. I know those players have all been rushed in ... They've got some key players who I imagine will be itching to get at us and get some revenge for that loss."