Australia players during a training session yesterday.
Doha, Qatar: Australia will be hot favourites in their last 16 clash of the AFC Asian Cup at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium today but coach Graham Arnold has said the Socceroos will have to be at their best against Indonesia which he rated a “strong” side.
While 2015 champions Australia eased into the knockout stage after topping their group, Indonesia advanced as the third-placed side thanks to a victory against Vietnam.
But their performance against four-time winners Japan and in-form Iraq in the group stage despite defeats has impressed Arnold, who guided Australia to the Round of 16 of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 before eventual champions Argentina ended their run in the stage.
Graham Arnold, Australia coach
“It’s two teams that will go out there and give their best. They’ve [Indonesia] shown in this competition so far, against Japan and against Iraq, how strong they are, and obviously they won against Vietnam,” said the Australian coach.
Placed 146th in the FIFA rankings, Indonesia are the lowest-ranked team left in the tournament, featuring in the last 16 for the first time in their fifth attempt. But Arnold warned his team can face a strong challenge from the side, coached by former South Korean player Shin Tae-yong.
“Indonesia have shown what the competition is about and the strength of the competition. Every time we go on the pitch and prepare for a game we prepare for a tough game and we expect that tomorrow. We have to be at our best and we can’t have any slip up in the mental side of it,” the 60-year-old said.
The availability of striker Mitchell Duke, who missed the 1-1 draw with Uzbekistan due to a hamstring strain and forward Craig Goodwin has boosted Australian squad ahead of the finals.
“He’s training fully today,” Arnold said of Duke, while adding Goodwin was also available for selection after recovering from a minor knee injury.
“He’s [Goodwin] available for selection, which is the main thing. We’ve got a few players in that position to think about, and we’re just making sure that he’s ready to go. We don’t want him to be on the pitch and have something happen again, so we’re just making sure that that’s all right. Everyone else is 100 percent fit.”
As Indonesia face an opposition ranked 121 places higher in the world rankings, coach Tae-yong said his team will take on the big challenge with strong mentality.
“Tomorrow’s match for us is never going to be easy, especially because the Australia team is one of the strongest teams in the Asian Cup,” he said.
Shin Tae-yong (second from left), Indonesia coach
“They’ve got strength and power and I think in those aspects Australia is probably the strongest in this competition. We’re going to play with a strong mentality. We will never give up. We’re going to focus on the match until the referee blows the whistle after 90 minutes. We’re not going to have any regrets and we’re going to do our best.”
It is the first time the two sides are squaring off in the Asian Cup but Australia enjoy domination in head-to-head against Indonesia, winning 11 games while losing only a single game out of their previous 15 matches . Their last 16 clash will kick off at 2:30pm.
