The moment the Socceroos' clash with England was announced, one's mind immediately races to one moment.
Upton Park, 2003 — 20 years ago now, believe it or not.
Australia's only victory over England in men's football and a stunning one at that.
Shocking them in 'their' game, in their own backyard, with a team packed full of superstars – Beckham, Lampard, Scholes, Ferdinand, Owen, Rooney and several more.
Aside from the famous sporting rivalry that exists between the two nations, it's why the mere mention of the fixture gets Australians so excited again.
Especially off the back of a dream-laden World Cup campaign with Harry Souttar flying in the Premier League, Riley McGree rampant at promotion-pushing Middlesbrough and Aaron Mooy running the show at Celtic.
And this time, for the first time between the two sides, on the hallowed turf of Wembley.
Oh, to be an Aussie backpacker in London come October 13.
But before any of that comes the Matildas against the Lionesses in Brentford on April 11.
This will act as a critical precursor for Australia's women's team three months before they run out for the World Cup on home soil.
A high-pressure clash with the world's fourth-ranked side and reigning European champions is exactly what Tony Gustavsson and his team need ahead of the upcoming showpiece.
The expectations and burden on the team will be heightened already. There's no hiding from them, so you may as well condition the players in the best way possible, which they have done with the England fixture and the recently completed Cup of Nations.
And while an Australian win would not be a complete shock in this instance, there is a link that can be drawn with the Socceroos of 2003 and this similarly star-studded Matildas crop.
Eleven members of the most recent Matildas squad play in England, with several more in nearby nations in Europe.
The English surrounds will be just as familiar to the likes of Sam Kerr, Caitlin Foord, Mary Fowler and Steph Catley as they were for Harry Kewell, Mark Viduka, Brett Emerton and Lucas Neill two decades ago. Along with a plethora of others.
And then there's the motivation of rolling into training in England on the Monday morning with the all-important bragging rights, as Paul Okon is said to have done at Middlesbrough, with a blow-up kangaroo strapped to the roof of his car after the Upton Park upset.
The Matildas will also take comfort from their most recent clash with England in 2018 where they managed a 1-1 draw away from home thanks a to thumping header from Clare Polkinghorne late on.
And there was also the dramatic 4-3 triumph over Great Britain at the 2021 Olympics, which included several stars of the English team, including Kerr's Chelsea teammate Fran Kirby, Lucy Bronze, Lauren Hemp and Georgia Stanway.
While the gap between the Socceroos and England's men's team is far bigger, Graham Arnold's side can also gain some confidence from their past two meetings with the Three Lions.
England 2-1 Australia – Stadium of Light, Sunderland 2016
Ange Postecoglou took his team up to Sunderland and took it to England like his side did to every big nation they faced.
The clear difference in the clash was England's quality in front of goal compared to Australia's wastefulness.
Marcus Rashford jumped on a defensive error early before Wayne Rooney lashed one home in the second half. An Eric Dier own goal gave Australia hope and, while they failed to find an equaliser, they left the game with plenty of plaudits.
With Aaron Mooy running the show, Australia looked tidier in possession than their hyped-up counterparts and in the post-match press conference, most of the local press quizzed Roy Hodgson on how they were going to excel at the upcoming Euros if Australia had just bossed them in possession.
The questions were fair. England lost to Iceland in the round of 16.
Australia 3-1 England – Upton Park, London 2003
One of the more famous triumphs in Australian football history and the catalyst for the Golden Generation's exploits that would follow.
At a time when football fans were too often deprived of seeing the Socceroos in high-quality action, this was a match that satisfied that raging appetite momentarily, and one that football fans have dined out on since.
It was Frank Farina's crowning glory as Socceroos coach and with a squad brimming with talent, they blitzed Sven Goran Eriksson's England early to be 2-0 up at half-time.
Tony Popovic's towering header put Australia in the lead but it's Harry Kewell's second that is long remembered.
This was Australia's golden boy at his absolute, pre-injury peak. Full of blistering pace and wizardry, he left Rio Ferdinand in a heap before rounding David James for the Socceroos' second. Brett Emerton added a third to seal a much-deserved win in Rooney's England debut.
Headlines of 'Shockeroo' followed in the English tabloids the next day, while the win gave a burgeoning Australian squad belief that they could match it with the best, which they did at the 2006 World Cup.
