Match Preview: Australia vs Ecuador in Melbourne

The Subway Socceroos return to action tonight for its second match against Ecuador looking to end the March FIFA window on a high.

This time Melbourne and Marvel Stadium is the scene with Australia playing in the Victorian capital for the first time since January 2022.

Graham Arnold's men produced an impressive 3-1 victory last Friday at Sydney's CommBank Stadium, courtesy of goals from Jackson Irvine, Awer Mabil and Garang Kuol, who scored his first at senior international level.

The Australia boss revealed he will likely rotate his squad by making five or six changes, but stressed he would maintain the balance in the side between youth and experience.

He did confirm Harry Souttar will be unavailable after picking up an ankle knock and admitted it was not worth the risk, so has flown back to England with Bailey Wright expected to be his replacement in the starting line up.

Opta Insights: Australia vs Ecuador - 28 March

• Australia have scored three goals in each of their two previous men’s internationals against Ecuador, picking up a win and a loss from those two fixtures including a 3-1 win when these teams met four days ago.
• This will be just the second time in the last five years that Australia have faced the same team in two consecutive men’s internationals; each of the last three times it’s occurred the Socceroos have won the second of the two games.
• Ecuador have lost their last two men’s internationals in succession after having lost only one of their 17 previous games as a team (W6 D10); they’ve not lost three straight games since June 2021.
• Australia have conceded more shots at goal than they’ve made in each of their last five men’s internationals after having made at least as many shots as their opposition in nine of their 11 games prior; they were outshot 10-12 in their last game against Ecuador.
• Awer Mabil (Australia) has scored one goal in each of his last three starts for the Socceroos in men’s internationals, including one goal in the Socceroos’ last game against Ecuador.

World Ranking

Australia: 27
Ecuador: 41

What they said

Graham Arnold

Everyone’s pulled up, except Harry (Souttar) who copped a knock late in the game. The medical staff reviewed him to see how he was and said that he wouldn’t be properly available for Tuesday night. The swelling would have taken too long to come down, so he’s gone back home early to try and get himself ready for his game (Leicester City vs Crystal Palace) on the weekend. We’ve got to have faith in more than one person, and you’ll see Bailey Wright step in for him tomorrow (Tuesday) night. He’s doing great at his club, but he’s also done great for us every time he’s played and started and I look forward to seeing him and other players prosper.

Bailey Wright

Obviously, any opportunity when you come into the national team is always special and you always want to be on that pitch and represent your country. So to get that opportunity to pay, particularly here in Melbourne is always close to my heart. I’ll be able to share that with friends and family which you don’t get too often when living on the other side of the world. 

Jackson Irvine

It’s just the new generation of modern football - no fear, no backward step. I have a different role within the team now on and off the field, helping the younger players grow into their new roles because they’re going to make up the core of this team for the years to come. For me, that’s probably one of the things I’m most excited about is seeing the growth that they’ve got in front of them and we’ve seen it already with some of their progressions even since the World Cup.

Aziz Behich

We call these friendlies but they’re not really as you saw the other night. We’ve got to keep that winning mentality going. The result was great, and we played well, but we analysed the game and where we can improve so this next game we’re going to chop it up a notch. As I said, we’ve got to keep that winning mentality because that becomes a habit. And leading into the Asian Cup, you want momentum.

How to watch

The match against Ecuador will be broadcast live and free on Australia's 'Home of Football,' Network Ten.  

Australia's second clash against La Tri at Melbourne's Marvel Stadium will be broadcast live on 10 Bold and streamed live via 10 Play and Paramount+.  

International fans, stay tuned for more information around how you can watch the game.

How to buy tickets 

Tickets for Australia's game at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne on Tuesday, 28 March (7.30pm AEDT kick-off), are ON SALE NOW! 

Follow the links below to purchase yours!

• MATCH TWO (March 28, Melbourne) - CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE
• Tickets start at $10 for Juniors, $15 for Concessions and $20 for Adults

SUBWAY SOCCEROOS SQUAD – WELCOME HOME VS ECUADOR – MARCH 2023

SUBWAY SOCCEROOS’ WELCOME HOME SERIES – MATCH SCHEDULE

Match Day Two
Date: Tuesday, 28 March 2023
Venue: Marvel Stadium, Melbourne
Time: 7:30pm AEDT
Tickets: https://www.ticketmaster.com.au/event/25005E53BFD52417
Broadcast: Live on 10 Bold, 10 Play and Paramount+

Melbourne Two Match Deal
Subway Socceroos v Ecuador: Tuesday, 28 March, 7:30pm AEDT
CommBank Matildas v France: Friday, 14 July, 7:30pm AEST
Venue: Marvel Stadium, Melbourne
Tickets: https://www.ticketmaster.com.au/event/25005E618FB73FBF