‘Ready to make history’: Socceroos face India in Asian Cup opening match
Key Points
- Socceroos play against India on Saturday night.
- Coach Graham Arnold said the team has prepared well.
- “All the boys are fit, healthy and ready” he said.
Socceroos coach Graham Arnold said he feels the team has prepared well heading into its first Asian Cup match against India, placed 102nd in the FIFA rankings.
“All the boys are fit, healthy and ready,” he said ahead of the game against India on Saturday at 10.30pm AEDT at the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium.
He said the strategy is to take each game one at a time.
“Our full focus is on India, getting our game plan and performance right. But what’s crucial is our energy when we go out on the pitch.”
Just 12 players from the 26-player Socceroos squad that reached the round of 16 at last year’s World Cup are at the Asian tournament.
Socceroos striker Mitch Duke said he
“There’s a great balance between experienced players and youth and those young players that we’ve got here bring a lot of energy, a lot of quality, a lot of individual ability,” Duke said.
“There’s some flair in there as well, which is good in some of these games where maybe you need some individual brilliance.
“We’ve got the perfect balance ready to make some history and amazing memories here, and really do the job in this tournament.”
