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The Socceroos are back in action tonight, taking on Ecuador in the second of a two-match friendly series at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne. Join The Roar for live scores and commentary from 7:30pm (AEDT).
In Friday evening’s 3-1 win, Socceroos coach Graham Arnold handed a starting debut to Melbourne City midfielder Aiden O’Neill, and gave exciting 19-year-old Alexander Robertson about 30 minutes off the bench for his first appearance in the green and gold. Other players in the squad in line to make their senior international bows tonight include A-League stars Jordan Bos and Nestory Irankunda.
It would make sense for Joe Gauci to be given the nod between the sticks.
In confirmed team news for the home side, Harry Souttar picked up a niggle in Sydney and is already back in England preparing for Leicester City’s clash with Crystal Palace. CODE Sports’ Adam Peacock reported this morning that local boy Bailey Wright will take Souttar’s place in the heart of defence.
Arnold also confirmed that Riley McGree, who featured prominently in Qatar, will start.
As for Ecuador, new manager Felix Sanchez will be hoping for a better result in his second match in charge of the South American side after the defeat at CommBank Stadium. Keep an eye out for Brighton & Hove Albion man Moises Caicedo, who will look to pull the strings.
Stay with The Roar for all the live coverage of tonight’s international friendly.
Prediction
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Expect Ecuador to tighten up defensively tonight – I can’t see them conceding three times again.
Arnold will likely make a few changes to the starting line-up, so it’s difficult to know what to expect from the Socceroos but if they put in a similar performance to Friday’s win, they’ll be in with a good chance to come away with at least a draw.
