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A Socceroos squad facing one of the most limited preparations in memory will have their first hitout as a unit on Tuesday – but the players believe their late arrival ahead of Wednesday night’s World Cup qualifier against Japan won’t hurt them at all.
Seventeen of the 22-man squad took part in the first training session on Monday, most having arrived early in the morning following European club commitments.
Stretching, light jogging and some ball drills were the extent of their exertions on a chilly evening.
The remaining five players, led by defender Lucas Neill and midfielder Mark Bresciano, are scheduled to arrive in Yokohama Tuesday morning.
That will provide, at most, two complete sessions for the entire squad ahead of the important Group One clash at Nissan Stadium.
But goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer believes their familiarity with coach Pim Verbeek’s various game plans mean they are getting better at coping with limited preparations.
“We’ve done it lots of times. We’re confident we can go out and get the result we need to continue on our good progress for the World Cup,” Schwarzer said.
“Over the course of the last two or three years, we’ve shown it can work in our favour.
“We’ve learned to adapt very quickly, there’s a very, very good team spirit, everyone’s pulling in the same direction and we’ve got some top quality players in our side.
“We’re confident we can perform well even with a short preparation.”
While the Socceroos have had hasty assemblies for previous matches, none of those games was as significant as the showdown with Japan.
The match will go a long way to decide who will automatically qualify for next year’s World Cup finals as one of the top two teams in their group.
The Socceroos have won all three of their matches, and sit two points clear of second-placed Japan.
But the Japanese have had five days together, moving from their base in Chiba, east of Tokyo, to Yokohama on Monday and holding a training session at the match venue.
In the other Group One match on Wednesday night, Uzbekistan host Bahrain, both teams with just one point so far and needing three points to remain in the hunt for a top two spot.
AAP gh/gjw
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