Canberra United's Sasha Grove and Chloe Lincoln picked in Young Matildas squad

The Canberra duo were picked in a squad of 23 to travel to the Kyrgyz Republic for games against the hosts and Guam in round one of the qualifying stages.

It's a massive boost for their career aspirations, but it may come at a cost for Canberra ahead of some crucial games in the lead up to the A-League Women's finals.

Canberra is still in the hunt for a top-four spot after toppling the Western Sydney Wanderers 3-0 last weekend.

They are just three points outside of the finals spots with games against Adelaide this weekend, then the Wanderers again, the fifth-placed Melbourne Victory, Western United and Melbourne City to finish the regular season.

Attacker Grove and goalkeeper Lincoln will miss the clash against Adelaide and the rematch against the Wanderers before returning to Canberra.

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The Young Matildas will leave Australia on Friday - the day before the match against Adelaide - and their game against the Kyrgyz Republic is on March 11 - the day before the match against the Wanderers.

Canberra needs to win its remaining games to keep pressure on the top four and clinch a return to the play-offs this season.

But the good news is other clubs will be in the same boat, with 19 of the 23-strong squad on ALW rosters.

"Our final 23 reflects the needs of the squad to ensure balance across all positions with the players named providing unique attributes to the collective," said coach Leah Blayney.

"We have been diligent with our scouting network with the mixture of A-League Women's, National Premier Leagues, metro and regional, and international players sending the message that we will consider any footballer we believe can be valuable to our ultimate goal."

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