It’s the Socceroos vs New Zealand today! It’s the second leg of the ’Soccer Ashes’ series at Go Media Stadium in Auckland. The match is scheduled to kick off at 5:10 PM AEST. They face an Australia team that has had a perfect five-for-five record this year. They’ll be looking for their fifth straight as coach Tony Popovic continues to impress.
In the first leg held last week in Canberra, the Socceroos claimed a narrow 1-0 victory, thanks to an 87th-minute goal from Max Balard. The Australians head into today’s match in a confident mood. A win or draw and they’ll take the series in 2020! If New Zealand pulls off the upset and wins 1-0, then the two sides will go to penalties.
Young Talent Takes Center Stage
In a notable change from last week’s line-up, Popovic has made six alterations, including starting two impressive youngsters: Nestory Irankunda and Mohamed Toure. Both players demonstrated the impact they can have coming off the bench in the first leg. Their addition points to Popovic’s desire to incorporate local youth into the first team.
Irankunda, 17, said he was thrilled to get the start. He would step into a line-up with an average age of only 25 years, 331 days. This is the 2nd youngest starting XI for Australia since their 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup match against Cameroon.
“It’s a great honour, a great privilege to do that at a young age,” – Ale Circati
It is still unclear whether Alessandro Circati will captain the Socceroos tonight. He said that young players are key to helping create the future of Australian football that they desire.
“I’m ever so grateful to the boys and especially to the coach,” – Ale Circati
Coach’s Strategy and Expectations
Popovic has the most matches in charge with nine since taking over. His net thus far includes six wins and three draws, while he has allowed just six goals total. He is looking for a more high-tempo performance from his team entering this game.
“It’ll be more dynamic in the front third from the outset,” – Tony Popovic
Popovic feels that blending in experienced players with the young developing talent is unavoidable, necessary, and critical for the growth of the team. His strategy seems aimed at determining how each of these emerging players can contribute to the greater landscape of World Cup qualification.
“The point of this exercise was to bring young, talented, potential players for the future and see where they fit in. And we’ll be happy either way,” – Tony Popovic
Friedman acknowledged the intensity of the competition, but insisted that even with that pressure, his priority is still focused on developing players.
“We’ve learned a lot about them, regardless of who gets minutes in this game,” – Tony Popovic
Preparing for a Tough Challenge
As Australia takes the pitch in their black away kit to face off against New Zealand’s all-white uniform, both sides hungry to win, history will be made. The Socceroos scoring a whopping 17 goals in their five matches this calendar year. They’ve only given up six, highlighting just how dominant they’ve been on both sides of the ball.
While Popovic certainly knows what challenges await them in Auckland, he is confident that his team are well prepared for that. He was especially high on Irankunda and Toure, who’ve both been standouts during training leading up to this match.
“They’ve both trained really well. They’ve gotten over the travel and I’m hoping they can transfer that to the game and really impact the game,” – Tony Popovic
Chris Wood up top for Nottingham Forest. His experience will provide a stabilizing anchor that should balance the youthful exuberance of Toure and Irankunda. This combination of expertise and enthusiasm is what inspires Australia to present such a stellar performance. They hope to win these wins and cement their primary electoral successes thus far this year.
