FIFA Women's World Cup: All you need to know about Saturday's ...

Co-hosts Australia are on the verge of history at the FIFA Women’s World Cup ahead of a momentous Saturday night.

The Matildas have never progressed beyond the quarterfinal stage and France stand in their way.

The French are favourites but won’t have much support in Brisbane as the home side target the semifinals.

The last quarterfinal will see England, another European heavyweight, meet Colombia in Sydney.

Here’s all you need to know about Saturday’s quarterfinals in Australia.

Where: Brisbane; When: 7pm

Coverage: Live on Sky Sport 1, live updates on Stuff

The Matildas bounced back from the threat of elimination with two commanding wins over Canada (4-0) and Denmark (2-0), captivating the Australian public in their home World Cup. Their biggest test is next, a quarterfinal against France, who breezed into the last eight with a 4-0 victory against Morocco. The co-hosts have never qualified for the semifinals but will believe after beating Les Bleues 1-0 in a World Cup warm-up match in Melbourne only four weeks ago.

Brendon Thorne/Getty Images

Will Sam Kerr start against France?

Key players: Sam Kerr. Yes, Sam Kerr. Whether she plays or not has been one of the stories of the World Cup after a calf injury prevented her from featuring in the group stage. She came off the bench in the round of 16 against Denmark when the match was all but over. In her absence, Caitlin Foord has been terrific in attack and scored their outstanding opener against the Danes. France scored three goals in eight first-half minutes and Eugenie Le Sommer, the nation’s record scorer on 92 goals, struck twice against Morocco and is hitting form at the right time.

Stuff match predictor: Australia 30%, France 70%

TAB odds: Australia $3.60, France $2.10

Where: Stadium Australia, Sydney; When: 10:30pm

Coverage: Live on Sky Sport 1, Prime, Stuff; live updates on Stuff

Justin Setterfield/Getty Images

Chloe Kelly blasted England into the quarterfinals with her winning spot kick against Nigeria.

England are on the verge of a third successive semifinal appearance. However, their path to the quarterfinals has been rocky after needing penalties to beat Nigeria in the round of 16. The European champions have also lost star attacking midfielder Lauren James after a crazy red card for stomping on Michelle Alozie. She is banned for two matches. They will be favourites against Colombia, who will nevertheless be full of confidence after reaching the quarterfinals for the first time. The robust Colombians upset Germany, another European powerhouse, with a memorable 2-1 win in the group stage and beat Jamaica 1-0 to make the last eight.

Key players: England struggled to break down the Nigerians and will need top midfielder Keira Walsh to fire after recovering from a knee injury in the tournament. Alessia Russo is expected to lead the attack which did prosper in beating China 6-1 in their last group match. Colombia’s teenage talent, Linda Caicedo, has been quiet since her stunning performance against Germany. Striker Mayra Ramírez was brilliant in their history-making win against Jamaica.

Stuff match predictor: England 88%, Colombia 12%

TAB odds: England $1.45, Colombia $7