Sofia Määttä may not have yet graced the pitch at Hampden Park, but she has not had to look too far to imagine what it will feel like playing at Scotland’s national stadium.
The 20-year-old Finland international will be hoping to make her Hampden bow on Saturday afternoon when we face Motherwell in the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup.
Just one game away from a first-ever major cup final of her career and a first with Glasgow City, the forward is understandably excited.
Even more so because Määttä lives in the shadow of Hampden.
The stadium has been in her sights as she has made Glasgow her home over the last year. Now, she is on the verge of reaching a career milestone there.
“I’ve actually only been to Hampden once,” Määttä said. “I can see the stadium from my window. Every day when I wake up and look out my window, I can see it.
“It is going to be quite surreal. It [playing in the big stadiums] does bring a different feeling. I think it will help it feel like a big occasion.”
There is no denying that it is a big occasion. City are in the hunt for a double, with both the Scottish Women’s Premier League and the Scottish Cup trophies our targets.
But, Määttä knows we must overcome a stern Motherwell test if we are to set ourselves on our way to the showpiece event back at Hampden next month.
“It would mean so much to reach the Scottish Cup final, but we know nothing is won yet,” the forward said. “We have Motherwell to play first.
“They are a good team. They are defensively good and hard to break down. We have to take our chances and try to score early.
“It is a one-off game – there has to be a winner. You want to do that in the 90 minutes, and even better if we can score a few goals in the first half.”
Starting well has become even more important following a lacklustre first-half display in our last SWPL outing ahead of the semi-final, a 0-0 draw against Hearts at Oriam.
Määttä added: “In our last game with Hearts, we didn’t play well in the first half and made it a hard game for ourselves. If we had started better, it would have been more comfortable. We need to do that on Saturday.”
Against Hearts, the forward made her second start in five games - the other was against this weekend's opponents in a 4-0 league win a fortnight ago.
Over the 57 minutes that she played against the Jambos last Sunday, Määttä was utilised down both flanks and led the line for a spell. And to be trusted from the start and in several roles has left her feeling confident going into our last four clash against Motherwell this weekend.
“It does fill me with confidence,” Määttä said. “I am kind of relieved to be back and getting more minutes. I feel like I am getting better and better from my injury.”
She continued: “It is encouraging. I’m not used to playing striker, though! I don’t really care where I play, but just as long as I am playing and I have the chance to help the team.”
That confidence comes at the perfect moment as we prepare for this crucial semi-final.
Määttä knows what is at stake when we face the Women of Steel. Reaching the final would give City the opportunity to battle for a 10th Scottish Cup title and a first since 2019.
“Of course, everyone wants to win,” Määttä explains. “It’s part of why I came here to Glasgow City. Here, that is possible.
“I haven’t played in finals before, so if we get there, it would be a new opportunity for me, but it is exciting. These tough games like Saturday are the ones you want to play in. These big games mean so much.”
Määttä’s focus is firmly rooted on Hampden, but not by looking through her window — it’s on the challenge that lies ahead on the pitch.
Make sure you are at Hampden to support Sofia and Glasgow City by getting your ticket for Saturday's Scottish Cup semi-final against Motherwell here.