Matildas vs France what time, kick-off Saturday, odds, TV: Penalty shootout FIFA women’s world cup

The Matildas' previous trophy victory also required a shootout to decide. Against France, it's a distinct possibility.

Matildas' great Heather Garriock said the team is well and truly prepared for the battle with France for a berth in the semi-final, which is expected to be close and may even go to a penalty shootout.

On Saturday night, the Matildas will play France in a World Cup quarterfinal; if they win, they will go to the semi-finals and have their finest World Cup performance ever.

Optus Sports' resident football guru, Garriock, donned the green and gold uniform 130 times.

"I think it is going to be a really tight tussle," Garriock said.

Garriock - is a veteran of several major contests. The last major trophy the Australian women have won was the 2010 AFC Asian Women's Cup, in which she played for the Matildas.

The championship game came down to a penalty shootout with North Korea's DPR.

Kyah Simon, then 18 years old, scored the decisive penalty kick after Garriock, Kylie Ledbrook, and Katie Gill all lined up for it.

Garriock remarked that "one of the great things about playing on a team is that it is extremely uncommon that you are under pressure by yourself and the spotlight is just on you."

It's just you, the pressure, and the ball in a penalty situation.

"You need to train for that," she said, "and I know that the Matildas have trained for that."

There hasn't been a single second of World Cup action involving Simon.

In spite of her recent ACL injury, coach Tony Gustavsson still chose her so that she may be a "game changer" for the team.

With the stakes so high and the veteran forward having been observed in training with her boots on, it seems likely that Simon will be called upon if a penalty shootout becomes necessary.

Garriock assured Simon that she would have no trouble making the crucial shot if she was in good health and ready to go.

The Matildas will undoubtedly do their hardest to win the game in regulation, avoiding extra time and the prospect of penalty kicks.

Garriock was confident that the Matildas could win, especially if they rekindled their intensity for the Canada game and replicated their individual brilliance from the Denmark match.

To be able to bring in a player like Sam Kerr or Cortnee Vine off the bench and immediately have an impact, as Garriock put it, "is a real point of difference."

"But we also have top players playing the way they are playing, like Clare Hunt at the back, Emily van Egmond in the middle of the park, and Mary Fowler, Caitlin Foord, and Hayley Raso scoring goals - everyone is playing to their full potential."

The topic of whether or not Kerr will return to her starting role for the match against France was raised after she came off the bench in the match against Denmark after missing the first three games with a calf injury.

Garriock acknowledged that Gustavsson had the final say but insisted that she would not change what had been so successfully implemented.

Whether on the field or in the stands, Garriock insists that Kerr will have a significant influence on the team's success.

If you're France, you'd love to see her off the bench, and if you're Sam Kerr, you'd love to see her starting.

France's slow start to this World Cup was highlighted by a draw against Jamaica, a 2-1 victory over Brazil, and a 6-3 victory over Panama in the group stage.

In the Round of 16, they faced Morocco and won 4-0 thanks to a clinical performance. They scored three times in the first 23 minutes.

Garriock claimed that many French players were in prime form.

"(Kadidiatou) Diani is on fire, and obviously to come up against (Wendie) Rennard at the back from a defensive point of view, but they are also dangerous from set plays and their style of play," she remarked.

"I have to give tribute to Harve Renard, the French coach. I think he's a fantastic coach who's already implemented a number of game-changing strategies.