- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Those expecting the Socceroos to rattle up a cricket score against cricket-mad Bangladesh on Thursday aren’t paying enough attention.
That’s how coach Ange Postecoglou sees Australia’s World Cup qualifier at Perth’s nib Stadium, which his side is expected to win, and convincingly.
Political wrangling between Football Federation Australia and the players’ union aside, the Asian Cup holders have had an ideal preparation and are overwhelming favourites to beat the world’s 170th-ranked side.
They’ll have the backing of a capacity Perth crowd and the benefit of an almost perfect surface on which to execute their high-tempo gameplan.
Yet through it all, Postecoglou is staying cautious.
“It wasn’t long ago Faroe Islands were the minnows of European football. They’ve just knocked off Greece twice,” Postecoglou said.
“Football’s changing quickly and I’d like us to be dominant and win well, but people who are assuming that these games are walkovers … they’re not paying attention with what’s going on in world football at the moment.
“There’s plenty looking to gun us down and we’ve got to make sure it doesn’t happen.”
It shouldn’t.
Stand-in Socceroos skipper Tim Cahill said it would be a “massive upset” were Australia to drop a point.
“That’s no disrespect to Bangladesh,” he said.
“Nil-nil against Holland these days for us would be an upset.”
The only three teams Bangladesh have beaten in the past three years are fellow minnows Sri Lanka, Nepal and Northern Mariana Islands.
All of Bangladesh’s players ply their trade domestically, their best defender Nasirul Islam Nasir is injured and their coach, Dutchman Lodewijk de Kruif, will watch on from the stands on Thursday due to a touchline ban.
De Kruif said the Bengal Tigers had to be “realistic” about their chances.
“My players are not afraid. They have respect, but they’re not coming as tourists over here,” he said.
“We will start the match very motivated and eager to get a good result.
“If a good result is points or not points … from certain angles, it’s not realistic (to get a result) but, for sure, it’s a wonderful experience for my team.
“You have to consider it’s football and, in football, anything can happen.”
And as for stopping Tim Cahill, who is in blistering goalscoring form for his club Shanghai Shenhua?
“He has two hands; he has two legs. I think he’s better than me, but I’ll try,” said captain Mamunul Islam.
Are you the ultimate team manager? Pick your own superstar team and go head to head with other football fans for glory and cash prizes on Draftstars. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.