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Arsenal team-mates Leah Williamson and Rafaelle Souza will go up against each other as they lead their countries at a sold-out Wembley in the Women’s Finalissima.
England’s Williamson and Brazil’s Souza are one of the Women’s Super League’s most effective centre-back pairings – but there can only be one winner between them on Thursday night.
It is a mouthwatering showdown between European champions England and Copa America winners Brazil – just four months before the Women’s World Cup starts in Australia and New Zealand.
“When you play against a team like Brazil, you appreciate the individual skill and creativity which is hard to play against as you don’t know what’s coming,” said Williamson.
“When they have flair to add to the structure it’s hard and it’s something players admire about each other.”
Souza added: “I have been playing here in England for a year and I know how good they are. I know it will be physical and we know how good they are with crosses.
“It is my job to defend those crosses. We have to be physical and we have to step up our game to win those little battles.”
‘I feel like she is half-Brazilian’
There was no love lost between the two defenders as they previewed the crunch encounter.
Souza joked Williamson needed to improve her samba and revealed she had plans to bring the Lionesses captain over to Brazil on holiday at the end of the year.
“Leah is a great player and I’m really glad I play with her [at Arsenal] but not glad I’m playing against her on Thursday because she’s so good,” added Souza.
“I feel like she’s half-Brazilian because she has the skills. She just needs to learn how to do the samba and she will be fine.
“She helped me a lot [in England]. Not just on the pitch, but off it. She wants me to feel like it’s home so we go to places to get used to the culture.
“What I miss the most from Brazil is the weather. Every time there is a sunny day in training she smiles. I’m going to try to teach her more Portuguese so she can come to Brazil with me. I love to be with her and we are good mates.”
Williamson described the Brazilian captain as a “warrior” as she prepared for a tough test.
The Lionesses are still yet to lose under manager Sarina Wiegman and come into this match having retained their crown in February’s Arnold Clark Cup.
“I think Rafaelle is a bit of a warrior. As an athlete she is heads and shoulders above us,” added Williamson.
“She has the Brazilian way [of playing] and what she can do with her feet is pretty impressive. I’m in awe of her most days. It’s new territory being on a different team to her.”
‘All of us will get answers after it’
Brazil are without key players Debinha and Marta for the Finalissima in London.
But manager Pia Sundhage said her “inexperienced team” will be grateful of the opportunity to test themselves against the Euro 2022 winners.
“It will be fantastic to see how they deal with this crowd,” she added. “We have talked about the ball flying into the box so Rafaelle [Souza] needs to step up.
“We will be fine. When it comes to this game it’s part of the journey to the World Cup.
“I’m so appreciative and really happy to play against one of the best teams in the world, with the best coach in the world.
“All of us will get answers after the game. I’m grateful for the opportunity and we have some plans for it.”
England are expected to name a strong side, but will be without injured Chelsea centre-back Millie Bright.
“She has played so many games for us and Chelsea, but we have our plan B so we will see that,” said boss Wiegman.
“On one hand it is an opportunity to see where our team is at when she’s not playing. They have a young team that’s less experienced but it is a very good football team.
“They are powerful and have a lot of athleticism. They play in a recognisable structure. We’re excited to see where we are at against Brazil.”
