Australia is set for two friendlies against rivals, headlined chiefly by a meeting with England that will see the Aussies play their first ever match at the iconic Wembley Stadium.
The Socceroos take on the Three Lions on Saturday morning (5.45 am AEDT) in what will be the eighth encounter between the two nations in their history, their last match taking place in 2016 when England beat the Green and Gold 2-1.
Australia coach Graham Arnold admitted that it will be a spectacle and an incredible experience for his team, though he still stressed the importance of performing well.
“With the rivalry we have against England in sport, not just football, it’s going to be fantastic and to have an occasion at Wembley, where the Socceroos have never played before, is going to be extra special,” Mr Arnold said in London ahead of the game.
“It’s going to be a fantastic, historic occasion but, at the same time, my expectations are in improving our performance and making sure we get things right.”
Mr Arnold stated that this is another match in line with his strategy of testing the Socceroos against high-quality opponents across the world, with the England game building on their previous friendlies this year against Ecuador, Argentina and Mexico.
“My preference straight after the World Cup when I re-signed was to play against top opposition because it’s the only way you learn from your mistakes,” he said.
“That was the biggest thing we learned playing against France in the first game at the World Cup, how a small mistake turns into a big mistake and we get punished for it.”
The Socceroos coach said they are going through a slight rebuild situation, with senior players like Aaron Mooy and Tom Rogic retiring and others like Mathew Leckie out on injury.
As a result, he has selected a rather inexperienced squad in terms of international caps, with only eight players having played 20 games or more, giving them a huge platform to showcase their skills against one of the supreme nations in football.
Despite this, he will be hopeful that his side can down the English as they had done nearly 20 years ago, famously beating them 3-1 in February 2003 at the now-demolished Upton Park.
Following that game, Australia battles another rival in New Zealand at Gtech Community Stadium, the home of Premier League club Brentford FC, on Wednesday morning (5.45 am AEDT).
Mr Arnold expressed his joy at organising another game against the Kiwis, which, excluding last year, has become a rarity since Australia joined the Asian Football Confederation.
“We’ve had a great relationship with New Zealand over the years, playing in Oceania. We obviously moved to Asia and we haven’t played them that often,” Mr Arnold said.
“We played them twice last year and that was the first time in maybe ten years. It’ll be great to have that derby game and we look forward to it.”
Both matches will be streamed live on 10 Play and Paramount Plus.
