Defiant Ange in bullish mood
EVER the optimist, Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou believes his under-fire side has the arsenal to reach Russia by knocking Thailand for six in their World Cup qualifier tonight.
The Socceroos need to win – and by a healthy margin – in their final group match to maximise hopes of a fourthstraight appearance at the World Cup.
Anything less and Australia is likely to confront tricky home-and-away playoffs to book their place at the 2018 tournament.
Given two-legged heartbreaks of the past– think Uruguay, Iran, Argentina – and the task at hand, there’s plenty of concern ahead of the AAMI Park showdown. Postecoglou is unfazed. The headstrong national team coach is bullish on Australia’s chances of direct progression, declaring the Socceroos would “qualify on Tuesday”.
“We have just got to play well,” he said.
“If you don’t play well you leave things to chance, and we don’t want to leave things to chance.
“We’ve got to make sure we stay focused and play our football, keeping it at a high tempo and pressuring the opposition from start to finish.
“When we do that things tend to fall into place.”
Australia’s last-start 2-0 loss to Japan in Saitama means the Socceroos need some help from the Japanese to book their place at the 2018 tournament.
The already-qualified Samurai Blue play Saudi Arabia in Jeddah in the early hours of tomorrow, with Australia needing to better Saudi Arabia’s result.
Should both Australia and Saudi Arabia win, the Socceroos need a two-goal bigger victory than the Green Falcons.
Aaron Mooy is certain to start for the Socceroos tonight, while Tomi Juric should also resume up front.
Tim Cahill is a wildcard, with Postecoglou pondering his deployment in attacking midfield given his impact in that role at the Confederations Cup.