Socceroos face test Asian Cup title shot on line against Syria

SOCCEROOS captain Mark Milligan expects a no-holdsbarred contest against Syria tomorrow night, in an Asian Cup battle between two teams with campaigns on the line.

Australia sit second in Group B and needs at least a point against Syria, which require a win themselves to progress to the tournament’s knockout phase.

It means the clash in Al Ain will almost certainly start in a more open fashion than Australia’s first two group games, when Jordan and Palestine put men behind the ball and played on the counter-attack.

“One thing we do know is they will try and have a go at us,” Milligan said.

“They’re going to play with a lot of fire and intensity too.

“They’re not an easy nut to crack.

“The main focus needs to be where we can break them, us executing that well.”

The Socceroos cannot afford to lose, given Jordan have qualified as group winner and could rest players against lastplaced Palestine, which are still in the running for the last 16.

Syria coach Bernd Stange was sacked moments after Thursday’s 2-0 loss to Jordan but Milligan was unsure of the impact of the upheaval.

“There normally is (a response), although in a tournament situation I don’t know – is it more helpful or more disruptive?” he said.

“The core of the team has been the same for a while, we can get a general idea of what to expect.”

In November 2017, Syria came within centimetres of knocking Ange Postecoglou’s team out of World Cup qualifying in the second leg of a playoff in Sydney, when Omar Al-Somah’s last-minute freekick cannoned off the post.

“It’s another high-pressure match situation,” Milligan said.

Having absorbed the lessons of their opening loss to Jordan, Australia picked apart Palestine with relative ease and the midfield architect was Milligan whose passing contributed to a more direct style.

The 33-year-old might well be shifted to central defence to cater for the suspension of Trent Sainsbury, opening the door for Massimo Luongo’s return.

Graham Arnold may also opt to retain his skipper in the midfield and install back-up centre-back Matt Jurman alongside freshly minted AlHilal signing Milos Degenek.

“I’ll do whatever’s asked of me,” Milligan said.

“Obviously we do have other options at centre-back, as we do in the midfield.

“There’s been a bit of talk about injuries and things like that but the depth that we still have here is impressive.”