Japan stand in the way of the new-look Matildas qualifying for the 2011 World Cup when the two sides meet tonight in Chengdu.  

The winner of the clash not only proceeds to Sunday's final and a chance at winning the trophy but also qualifies for the 2011 World Cup in Germany.

The Aussies will be without electric striker Lisa de Vanna who suffered her horrendous injury during Sunday's clash against China in Australia's 1-0 group stage loss.

The Perth Glory star fractured her left fibula and she has an ankle ligament injury that will keep her sidelined for about three months.

Matildas strike partner Sarah Walsh says while the squad was shocked at the injury, they hope to qualify for their injured team-mate against a side also ranked five in the world.

"It's obviously devastating to be without Lisa for this next game and personally it's difficult because I've played with Lisa for five years now and we know each other's games inside and out," said Walsh.

"In saying that Katie (Gill) and I have played together for five years and hopefully we can produce with that partnership over the next two games."

The loss of the exciting Glory striker will open up some tactical options for coach Tom Sermanni. However, even if the Aussies don't get the win, they'll still have a chance to qualify for the World Cup in the third versus fourth play-off against either China or DPR Korea.

But the Aussies camp are focused on getting the job done tonight against a side ranked top dogs in Asia.

 "Losing a player like Lisa De Vanna is a huge blow not only to the team for this tournament but to Lisa individually who has been in incredible form and has been absolutely terrorizing defences," said Sermanni.

"I'm still not quite sure how we're going to juggle her absence whether we go for a 4-3-3 or revert back to a more traditional 4-4-2. We've got some young players in this squad who now have to step up and show what they are capable of and I have no doubt that they are more than capable.

 "Japan are definitely the most technically gifted side in the tournament. However being the best team and winning are obviously two different things.

"We spoke about it last night in a team meeting and we're not just looking ahead to the Japan game. What we want to focus on is winning one out of the next two matches. World Cup qualification is our goal here and that's what we've set as our target."

The Matildas play Japan at 6pm (AEST) and you can see it live and exclusive on free-to-air on ABC2.

Picture by Paul Lau.