SOCCEROOS WILL GO IN ‘ALL GUNS BLAZING’

Australia coach Graham Arnold has vowed his side will take on Argentina with “all guns blazing” in their World Cup last16 showdown today.

The Socceroos were surprise qualifiers from Group D, not least after losing their first match 4-1 against France.

Successive 1-0 wins over Tunisia and Denmark took Australia to the knockout stages for the first time since 2006.

“The group games are past us and it’s a one-off game, anything could happen,” said Arnold.

“It’s 11 v 11, a battle, a war and we’ve got to fight that. We’ll give it everything, all guns blazing.

“We respect Argentina, for sure, but we can’t focus solely on them. We respect them but we respect ourselves and what we bring to the table.”

Former Dundee United defender Harry Souttar was a key performer in Australia’s two wins, and the Aberdeenborn centre-back will find himself trying to shackle Lionel Messi.

“It’s not an individual thing, it’s got to be a team collective,” said the 24-year-old.

“We have to be alert to everything. It won’t come down to just one individual to stop him.”

Argentina will give Angel di Maria until the 11th hour to prove his fitness.

The Juventus playmaker went off in the second half of the 2-0 win over Poland with a thigh issue.

Netherlands head coach Louis van Gaal insists he has not been surprised by last-16 opponents USA’s progress at the World Cup.

Van Gaal, whose side take on the USA in the first round-of-16 match today after topping Group A, believes Gregg Berhalter’s side are one of the best-drilled teams in Qatar.

“I’m not going to downplay the USA. On the contrary, they’re an example of what a good team is supposed to be,” said the 71-yearold Dutchman.