Socceroos ready for road to Brazil

Holger Osieck & Lucas Neill want to start the campaign with a win

“Our team is ready and not afraid.”

Those are the defiant words of Thailand’s head coach Winfried Shäfer ahead of tonight’s World Cup Qualifying match against the Socceroos at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.

With the Socceroos expected to field a strong side mixed with youth and experience, Shäfer is aware of the challenge ahead of his team, ranked 120th in the world.

“Everybody knows it’s a very difficult match for us,

“But we’ll fight,” Shäfer said.

“We go out with courage, we have a chance at a good result.”

Coming off an impressive showing against Wales in Cardiff last month, despite being overwhelming favourites, Australia’s head coach, Holger Osieck is not about to underestimate the War Elephants.

“They have of course, some good individual players. They’re not a bad team; they have good quality,

“But on the other hand, if you look at our team, we have good players as well and we have some real quality to offer,” Osieck said.

As they launch another World Cup campaign, Osieck and his men are adamant they will approach the first qualifying match like any other.

“If you play any team you have to be ready, you have to be focussed, you have to respect the other team.”

The Socceroos coach tried to be coy about exactly who would take to the pitch on the night.

Thailand coach, Winfried Shäfer welcomes the challenge

“I know my first 13,” he said.

“My position always is, when I field the eleven players, that in that very moment, they are the strongest eleven available and that is exactly how

I will act tomorrow,” Osieck explained.

However, continuing that attacking brand of football, Osieck did reveal his desire to field effective forward, Brett Holman.

“It’s no secret that Brett Holman is one of our cornerstones in the team,

“I’m happy he’s back and he looked very, very sharp yesterday, despite the travel. I don’t reveal any secret when I say, he will be in the team, if nothing unexpected happens,” Osieck said.

When addressing speculation over whether Matt Spiranovic would get a start over Sasa Ognenovski, Osieck made his selection method clear, leaving the door open for Spiranovic to back up after a successful performance in Cardiff.

“I’m not setting up teams by names, but by performance.”

Inspired by the depth in the current squad, Socceroos captain Lucas Neill isn’t bothered by selection dilemmas.

“All the partners I’ve worked well with,

“Lucky really that throughout the team, one will go in, one will come out, and it doesn’t really change too much, the dynamic of the team,” he said.

Neill said he still has the “hunger” to represent his country as the Socceroos look toward Brazil 2014. Playing in two consecutive World Cups, and having experienced the highs and the lows that come with it, Neill has learnt to embrace the weight of expectation on his team’s shoulders.

“We’ve tasted it now, as the public and as players, and we all want more,

“The way we do that, as the manager said, game by game, and to make sure that it's business as usual and give ourselves the opportunity to go to a third World Cup.”