Hayley Raso and Sam Kerr, star teammates for the Matildas at the World Cup, are now set to battle against each other in the Women's Champions League after their clubs were drawn together in the group stages.
Chelsea, for whom Kerr scored her first goal of the new season last weekend, are desperate to lift Europe's top club trophy, the one piece of silverware their talismanic striker has yet to win in the Blues' shirt.
They've drawn Real Madrid, who signed winger Raso from Manchester City in the close season. She scored her first goal for the Spanish giants in Liga F earlier in the month in a 5-1 win over Real Betis.
For the second year running, the teams, who will also face French club Paris FC and Sweden's Hacken in their group, will play each in the group stage which lasts between November 14 and January 31.
Paris FC could prove a real danger, having surprisingly advanced through two qualifying rounds, beating Wolfsburg, who lost to Barcelona in last year's final, and Arsenal, who reached the semi-finals last season.
Raso and Kerr are not the only Matildas in action in The Champions League, with Paris St Germain defender Clare Hunt looking forward to her first campaign since joining the French giants on a three-year deal last month.
PSG were grouped with Bayern Munich, Roma and Ajax when the draw was made on Friday.
Eight-time champions Lyon, who have Australia international Ellie Carpenter in their ranks as a former WECL winner, will line up with Czech side Slavia Prague, Norway's SK Brann and Austria's St Polten.
Lyon forward Ada Hegerberg, the first ever women's Ballon d'Or winner in 2018, could face her sister Andrine, who plays for Brann.
The 16-team draw also features defending champions Barcelona, who will take on Benfica, Rosengard and Eintracht Frankfurt.
With AP
