Foord, who was named AFC Women’s Player of the Year in 2016, ruptured her Lisfranc ligament during Sydney’s 3-2 triumph over Newcastle on Saturday.

The Matildas star will miss Australia’s Algarve Cup campaign in March and could miss the Asian Cup in April, after undergoing surgery earlier this week.

“It’s heartbreaking for the Matildas and for her personally,” Williams told FourFourTwo. “But as an opponent, she is the one dangerous player that won’t be on the park.

“It’s a big year for the national team and I wish she wasn’t hurt, but she’s got a lot of support; we’re all behind her and that’s the most important thing,” Williams added.

Despite Foord’s absence, the 29-year-old goalkeeper won’t be letting her guard down too easily: “Sydney still have a whole array of players that have been there for many years. I think it will be a pretty even game,” she predicted.

Williams has been instrumental in City’s run to the grand final this season, boasting the second-best defensive record on the ladder.

Despite only conceding 15 goals in 12 games this season, City have struggled to build momentum, which Williams puts down to the transitioning of new and international players.

“Halfway through the season we didn’t even know if we would make finals,” Williams admitted. “But then we got down to the nitty-gritty stuff and we knew that we had to start performing.”

The final instalment of the W-League will be completed in the Allianz Stadium this Sunday from 5:00pm (AEDT).

Melbourne City will be aiming to complete a hat-trick of Grand Final trophies, while Sydney will be hoping to land their first grand final win since the 2012-2013 season.