It's shaping as a tale of two Australians as Socceroos Jackson Irvine and Aaron Mooy swap camaraderie for  confrontation on Sunday (AEST) in the Championship face-off between promotion-hunting Huddersfield Town and relegation battler Burton Albion.

Both have been revelations in their debut seasons in English football's second tier, with Mooy, 26, spearheading the Terriers' chase for an automatic promotion spot, while fellow midfielder Irvine, 24, has scored nine times to almost single-handedly keep alive the Brewers' hopes of avoiding an instant return to League One.

A standout in his first full starts for Australia against Iraq and United Arab Emirates during the international break, Irvine confirmed that sentiment will be in short supply as he and Mooy collide in a midfield war zone where tackles and challenges will not be shirked.

With Burton just a point off the drop zone and Huddersfield six off the top-two, but with a game in hand over second-placed Brighton, Irvine declared himself "on a high" after his debut goal for his country against UAE.

He has had only one training session after arriving back in the Midlands on Thursday night (UK time), but insisted: "We have a huge week or so coming up with games against Huddersfield, (league leader) Newcastle and then Aston Villa - and I am feeling fresh.

"There are eight games left and we will be throwing everything at it.

"When we lost to them 1-0 with a late goal (earlier in the season) neither Aaron nor I held anything back, and it will be the same again.

"I always enjoy playing against the other Aussies in the Championship, but when you are out there you don't really think about it.

"I am sure we will have a chat and catch up after the game but when you're on the field you don't really notice who is behind the shirt, you just want to get the better of whoever it is."

Irvine believes, other than Mooy's well recognised creative qualities, his combativeness has helped him flourish in the Championship.

"The physical side of his game here in England has probably surprised a lot of people," he said. "He has shown this season in the Championship he is more than capable of bossing midfield, not just technically but also physically.

"It's going to to tough to contain him because he's a top player."

Unlike some, Irvine is not surprised at the impact made by Mooy who was last week named in the division's Team of the Year.

"I think anyone who has watched a lot him will know how good he is," he said. "He's always been more than capable of being named in that team of the season, and I am sure he will have even bigger things to come in the next few years.

"There's a natural progression for the top players in the Championship to the Premier League and Aaron would be in that bracket."

Irvine has also been mentioned as a possible EPL player in the making, and could attract bids post-season if he continues on his current trajectory.

Burton has offered an upgraded contract, with club record signing Irvine already committed for two more years.

He would love to make a quantum leap to the top flight, at some point.

"I just want to be at the top of my game every week and help us stay up," Irvine said. "As a player, you always dream about playing at the highest level possible.

"But I am only in my first year in the Championship and just want to produce the consistency which would show I am capable of stepping up again."