A wide open FIFA Women's World Cup reaches its conclusion on Sunday, as two teams familiar with adversity - and each other - collide at the Accor Stadium in Sydney.
There's a couple of metrics to decide how good a tournament has been. Firstly, were there any genuine shocks? And secondly, was there at least three great games in the knockout stages? This World Cup has undoubtedly ticked both of those boxes.
Japan were the neutrals' darlings until Sweden caught them on an off day and dumped them out in the quarters; Australia had a nation on tenterhooks before their gutsy sprint towards glory ran out of gas in the semi-finals; Nigeria and Colombia stole hearts; the USA and Germany underwhelmed.
And after a month of thrills and spills we're left with a pair of really good teams who adopt very different approaches.
There is Spain, slick and technical, who've made it this far despite manager Jorge Vilda having a dysfunctional [to say the the least] relationship with his players. Some of them are sitting at home watching the tournament on TV after opting out of the squad completely due to well publicised frustrations over the culture and preparation standards. It does not look like a harmonious camp.
And there is England, the reigning European champions majestically led by Sarina Wiegman but without a trio of injured stars - Leah Williamson, Fran Kirby and Beth Mead - who were key to their Euros triumph on home soil last summer.
Europe's 16-year wait for a winner of a Women's World Cup will end no matter what way this shakes one down [Germany most recently went all the way in 2007] and though it's foolish to be reductive about such a high-stakes game, it does have the look of a classic clash of styles.
Wiegman's England have passed through opponents with a dogged self belief; like the blades of a plough dutifully shifting the earth. They always seem to find an extra gear when it's needed, and it's telling that Wiegman's biggest dilemma is whether to start Lauren James, who missed the last two games through suspension.
Given how well the Lionesses played in James' absence, Wiegman could opt to keep the Chelsea attacker on the bench, a potentially game-changing weapon to call upon if the contest is on a knife edge in the second half.
Their excellent goalkeeper Mary Earps has had 64 efforts on her goal and conceded just three times. Spain have shipped seven goals from 36 shots, and there is a feeling that the best way they can topple Wiegmann's clever side is by outgunning them.
Their most recent meeting came last summer, in the Euros quarter-finals. England won 2-1 but they needed to a late recovery to squeeze through. Esther Gonzalez gave the Spaniards a deserved lead before Ella Toone equalised six minutes from time and Georgia Stanway netted an extra-time winner.
Spain played really well that day. They had 56% possession and 17 shots on goal. It's the only tournament match in the Wiegman era in which England have had less of the ball.
Wiegman led her native Netherlands to their first major title at Euro 2017 and then to the World Cup final two years later, where they were beaten by the USA. She's desperate to complete what would be a remarkable double this weekend.
"In top sports, everyone wants to make a final but there's not many that do. When you make four, that's very special," she said.
"But then I switch to what we have to do, because when you go to a final, you want to win it.
"On Sunday, we expect challenges again. We are in a very, very good place. We've grown into this tournament and the players feel very comfortable, they feel confident. We're really ready to go."
Vilda has certainly had his critics, particularly after the miserable 4-0 loss to Japan in the group stages, but he has rolled the dice successfully in the last few weeks.
The use of the thrillingly talented 19-year-old Salma Paralluelo off the bench paid dividends. She scored the winner against the Dutch in the quarters and bagged a crucial effort against Sweden in the semi-final.
In a parallel universe Paralluelo would be gearing up for next year's Olympic Games - a fantastic track athlete, she set under-20 records for Spain in the 400m and the 400m hurdles and competed in the 2019 European Indoor Championship. Instead she's caught the attention of the world, with her mixture of speed and skill giving Spain a different dimension.
Vilda's decision to replace keeper María Isabel Rodríguez with the uncapped Cata Coll in the last-16 match against Switzerland was also a big gamble that's paid off. Coll - like Paralluelo, a graduate of Spain's superb underage system - has been impressively assured since getting her chance.
"Games against England really require our best," said Vilda.
"She [Wiegman] is a trainer that with her results has shown the fruits of her work, it's not easy what she has achieved.
"You don't achieve this without excellent preparation and star players. It will be a tactical match and it's a final that we're going to fight with everything."
It's been a fine tournament, one which will hopefully be capped off by a fitting decider.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino churned out the soundbites on Friday when reflecting on its overall success and the legacy it could leave.
"I say to all the women, you have the power to change," he declared. "Pick the right battles. Pick the right fights. You have the power to convince us men what we have to do and what we don't have to do. You do it. Just do it. Just keep pushing, keep the momentum, keep dreaming, and let's really go for a full equality."
It was a clumsy analogy that hasn't exactly been boisterously backed up by Infantino's actions over the last month.
He attended all 64 games at the men's World Cup in Qatar but came under fire when it came to light he skipped four match days at the women's tournament to take a trip to Tahiti, where he visited a number of Oceania's member associations and various projects which are being supported by the FIFA Forward global development programme.
FIFA requests for police escorts to shuttle Infantio to and from matches were also rejected by both the Australian and New Zealand police forces, with the Queensland Police Service citing concerns "it would create unnecessary impact on the community."
Pick the right battles indeed.
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