Crowded house will help Socceroos
SOME 45,000 Socceroos fans will be at ANZ Stadium tonight, hoping to see another piece of history made.
After qualification successes against Uruguay in 2005 and Iraq in 2013, plus of course the Asian Cup triumph in 2015, no wonder it’s a favoured venue for the national team.
The crowd to face Syria will be around 10 times the attendance for the first leg last week, and despite predictions of a passionate Syrian contingent, the Socceroos expect to feel the force of home support.
“When 80 per cent of your players play abroad it does have extra significance when they play at home,” said coach Ange Postecoglou.
“They play in front of family and friends and also feel that sort of love from the crowd. “It certainly helps. “In some ways it influences what happens on the pitch with the opposition – they feel the heat of the opposition crowd. It’s something that adds to it.”
Amid that atmosphere, Postecoglou doesn’t expect to have to emphasise the size of the occasion to the players.
“They’re not silly, they understand it’s a big game,” he said.
“For the most part our home form is strong and the players draw on the energy of the crowd.
“You’ve just faced so much adversity away from home with the climate and the pitch.
“The pitch is in great nick, the crowd will be behind them, usually that means they’re fairly relaxed.”
A win, or even a nil-all draw, will see the Socceroos go through to a final playoff for a place at the World Cup.
A loss will mean, for the first time since 2002, there will be no Australian team at the World Cup.