Australia upbeat about women's World Cup knockout match

The Australian women's football team is upbeat about its chances of progressing to the next round of the Women's World Cup, despite having the unenviable task of taking on Brazil.

Matildas coach Alen Stajcic said his team was primed to take on another heavyweight, after the Australians survived the "group of death" with a win over Nigeria and a draw to Sweden.

He expects a tough contest, but said challenging matches in the group stage holds his team in good stead heading into another tough encounter.

"We've already played two former World Cup finalists so you may as well throw another one in the equation," Stajcic told the media this week.

"I'm sure Brazil won't be happy playing us. It will certainly be a big contest and a quality match. I can't wait."

Brazil might only be ranked as the world No. 7, but it boasts the world's best player. Marta averages nearly a goal a game representing her country and the task of shutting her down has been given to Elise Kellond-Knight.

Stajcic said Brazil's star-studded line-up was intimidating, but beatable.

"Brazil's a great team, fantastic players. Everyone knows Marta, Cristiane, and Formiga, have been around forever. It's going to be a tough opponent."

Kellond-Knight told AAP on Friday that Brazil's aging squad could leave them vulnerable to the youthful exuberance the Matildas are known for.

"We've got a very young side but I think it works in our favor -- there's sort of that element of fearlessness," she said.

But she conceded that her teammates would have to absorb the pressure for the entire 90 minutes, citing Brazil's unpredictability as one of its greatest assets.

"We may be dominating a game, but a player like Marta or Formiga might get half a sniff at the goal and they may even score from it," she said.

"I guess it's just that unpredictable nature the Brazilians have that's just very skillful, very individualistic... it can just come down to one player having a good game, and that could be very dangerous against us."

The Matildas will draw confidence from their recent form, having drawn with the world No 5 outfit in Sweden on Wednesday, while Brazil has proven beatable - it has lost emphatically to tournament favorite Germany twice in the past three months.

Brazil's World Cup form is daunting, however. They are yet to concede a goal from their three group matches, which included games against Spain and South Korea.

There are still doubts surrounding Matildas co-captain Lisa De Vanna as she continues to struggle with an ankle injury, but she indicated that she is likely take to the park in an effort to add to her two goal tally for the tournament.

Brazil won an encounter against the Australians in the knockout stage of the 2007 World Cup, and Stajcic has said that while a lot of the players were not a part of that squad, returning the favor would be sweet.

The Matildas take to the field in Moncton in Canada on Monday morning (Australian time). Enditem