She is also incredibly powerful in the air, not only winning aerial duels around the centre of the park, but also dominating in the box when attacking corners and free kicks – 7 of her 14 goals in the 2018 NWSL season came from headers.

Tasked with keeping Horan quiet is Matildas defensive midfielder Elise Kellond-Knight. After some awkward experimentation that saw Kellond-Knight play in different defensive positions throughout 2018, new head coach Ante Milicic has recognised the importance of “KK” in the centre of the park.

Her ability to relieve pressure in possession, create pressure when out of it, and dictate the speed of play makes her a crucial cog in the Matildas machine. Having most recently played for Melbourne City, American fans will finally get to see what all the fuss is about with KK joining Reign FC for the 2019 NWSL season.

Similar to Horan in her strength on the ball and her large motor, KK’s greatest strength is her reading of the play – she can often think two or three steps ahead of many players around her and position herself accordingly to intercept, pressure, or pass out of danger. As the midfield is often where a game can be won or lost, this battle between two highly experienced and clever midfielders will be one to watch.

Alex Morgan v Alanna Kennedy

The other end of the pitch will host another key striker v centre-back contest that promises to be just as intriguing as Kerr v Sauerbrunn, with the USA’s superstar centre-forward Morgan coming up against Sydney FC and Orlando Pride team-mate Kennedy.

Having played together in the NWSL for the past two seasons, the players’ familiarity with each other can be seen as both a blessing and a curse. While Morgan will have gradually learned Kennedy’s defensive weaknesses over the course of their work together, Kennedy will have simultaneously learned Morgan’s strengths, and will likely have adjusted her own game in order to keep those strengths in check.

Taken by Stephanie Meek (@stephaniemeekphotography)

Whether they cancel each other out or one gets the upper hand over the other could decide the game.

Morgan finished 2018 with 18 international goals across all competitions – taking her total tally to 99. She would likely love nothing more than to score her 100th goal against the team that has been a thorn in the USA’s side for some time. Like Kerr, much of Morgan’s brilliance is in her off-the-ball work – creating space for herself and others, making darting runs in behind or out wide to pull defenders out of position, and providing important combination plays across the field.

Meanwhile, Alanna Kennedy is coming into this week’s friendly off the back of a successful 2018/19 season with Sydney FC, winning the club’s first Championship in five seasons.

Having come into the team late after recovering from surgery on her feet, Kennedy made an immediate impact. Not only was she important defensively - rallying her less experienced defensive team-mates, dictating play from the back, and making several key challenges every game - but she was also key in the attacking third, regularly threatening in the air from set pieces and scoring 3 goals herself from free kicks.

While both Morgan and Kennedy had disappointing 2018 seasons with the Orlando Pride, each is beginning to find their form again; this friendly will be a great test to see whether they have come far enough to go toe-to-toe with each other heading into what could be the most competitive World Cup yet.

MATCH DETAILS

United States v Australia
Dick's Sporting Goods Park
Thursday, April 4 at 9pm (local time)
Friday, April 5 at 12:30pm (AEDT) 
LIVE on FoxSports 503 and SBS or follow #USAvAUS on Twitter for live updates