Socceroos attacker Martin Boyle is relishing the opportunity to be back on home soil as the Green and Gold prepare to host a match in front of a near-capacity crowd in Melbourne.
Due to the impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the Socceroos have only been able to play in Australia once since October 2019.
The last time Australia played on home soil, they were held to a 0-0 draw with Saudi Arabia in front of 23,314 fans at Western Sydney Stadium.
Thursday night's World Cup qualifier against Vietnam at the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium provides the perfect stage for Victorian Aussie football fans to reunite with the Socceroos, and Boyle cannot wait.
“Being back in Australia is fantastic,” Boyle said.
“Just like last time, the vibes are good and the energy is high.
Everyone's looking forward to playing in front of a full crowd again and the excitement levels are there.
“It’s good to get the connection back with the lads after the new year and everyone is looking forward to it.”
As the squad begins preparations for the coming fixture against Vietnam, Socceroos head coach Graham Arnold will be absent after returning a positive COVID-19 result.
While Arnold will not be physically present, Boyle believes preparations will remain on track as Arnold will stay digitally connected with all team activities, including team meetings and training sessions.
“Obviously the news isn't great but we've been informed that there will be zoom calls and meetings so he will still be a part of it,” Boyle explained.
I'm sure that in some way or another, he will bring his energy down on the squad and I'm sure we'll have him back in no time.
“I think the safety for everyone is important and thankfully we're still managing to do our jobs with this opportunity to play in Australia under the current restrictions.
“Obviously we need to be careful but at the same time, we need to be focused on what we need to do here. These are two massive games for us because we need two wins.
“We had two positive results against Vietnam and Oman last time so the preparations and stuff like video analysis will be spot on.
“It's just important that we are all connected, we're back on the same wavelength and we take that into the game with a fantastic support behind us.”
READ MORE: Ultimate Guide: Everything you need to know about Socceroos v Vietnam