Match Preview: Australia vs India | AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™

The Subway Socceroos open their AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™ group stage account against India, on Saturday night (10:30pm AEDT), at the Ahmed Bin Ali Stadum in Doha.

• READ MORE: How To Watch: Australia vs India | AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™
• READ MORE: How To Watch: Australia at the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™

Known amongst green and gold fanatics as the 'home of the grey wiggle', Australia will return to the ground in which they famously secured FIFA World Cup qualification, on penalties against Peru. 

The Socceroos' last appearance at both the stadium and the city of Doha, was a narrow defeat to eventual world champions Argentina during the Round of 16 stage, capping off the nation's best ever run at a men's FIFA World Cup.

Twelve months on, India has become the opponent, with a different trophy on the line, a second continental crown firmly in the sights of Graham Arnold and his team.

Coincidentally, this will not be the first time that Australia has played India during an Asian Cup opener, with the pair facing off during the 2011 edition, in Qatar, where the Socceroos ran out 4-0 winners, thanks to a Tim Cahill brace, along with goals from Harry Kewell and Brett Holman. 

The two sides have changed considerably since then, with Graham Arnold now overseeing a youthful and exuberant squad, mixed with a number of stalwarts.

Tweet: https://twitter.com/Socceroos/status/1745543602875330947

India meanwhile, have grown in stature, thanks to the creation of the Indian Super League in 2013, with the two strongest local products to come out of the professional league being 198cm shot-stopper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu and central defender Sandesh Jhingan.

Although they missed out on the knockouts for the 2019 edition, India are slowly climbing the Asian Cup mountain, with two points separating themselves and eventual semi-finalists the United Arab Emirates last time out, with a 4-1 win over Thailand signalling to the rest of Asia that the Blue Tigers may finally step out of the shadows and announce their arrival as the continent's next footballing powerhouse.

The Subway Socceroos enter the match on a four game winning run. However, coach Graham Arnold would be the first to remind his players that prior form means little in tournament football, with his squad needing to be on alert as Asian football continues to grow and progress.

A number of new inclusions will be wanting to prove themselves, with youngsters Joe Gauci, Patrick Yazbek, and John Iredale in line for minutes and are ones to watch for the future. Meanwhile the acquisition of full-back Gethin Jones may prove to be a stroke of genius, with the Bolton defender wasting little time settling in to his new surroundings, with a strong display during Australia's recent friendly against Bahrain.

READ MORE: Jones excited to ‘show more’ of attacking escapades following Bahrain debut

Lawrence Thomas has been rewarded for a season and half of excellent form in Western Sydney, with the goalkeeping position still uncertain, as captain Maty Ryan returns from a facial fracture. 

The attack line has been picked to be versatile, with Arnold wanting a range of styles to help combat teams who aim to sit back and frustrate. Mitchell Duke and Kusini Yengi will provide size and are known for their link-up play, while Bruno Fornaroli possesses that predatory instinct within the final third, emphasised by his 13 goals in just 10 A-League matches.

Winger Martin Boyle has been a regular in the Socceroos set-up, yet missed out on the last Asian Cup due to a significant knee injury. The Hibernian star will be out to properly stamp his authority on the competition to make up for lost time.

READ MORE: Boyle wants to make new memories with the Socceroos at Asian Cup

Current FIFA Rankings

Australia: 25 (7 Places higher than 2019 Asian Cup)

India: 102

Head-to-Head vs India

Played: 8
Wins: 4
Draws: 1
Losses: 3

Insights

• The Socceroos have won four of their last five matches, with their only defeat coming at the hands of England by a solitary goal
• India, on the contrary, have won just one of their previous five, drawing once and losing three times
• The Socceroos and India have met once prior in the AFC Asian Cup, with Australia defeating India 4-0
• Mitch Duke has scored three goals in his last three matches for the Socceroos
• Craig Goodwin has created 11 chances in his last five Socceroos appearances, mustering 3.36 per 90 minutes
• Joe Gauci has outperformed his expected goals against considerably, saving 2.6 goals in 10 matches for his Adelaide United side
• From left-back in the A-League Men this season, Aziz Behich has created 1.41 chances per match, gained two assists, and has won 58.1% of his duels
• For Middlesbrough in the Championship, Sam Silvera has registered 0.21 goals and 0.21 assists per game, mostly as an impact substitute 

What They Said

Graham Arnold thoughts on facing India

READ MORE: One game at a time for Arnold, but Socceroos are here to win

“It's one game at a time and our full focus is just on India, getting our game plan right and performance right. What's crucial is our energy, when we go out there on the pitch. I want movement off the ball all the time, runs in the back of people and making sure that the energy is right, and as I said, full focus is just on this first game of India.”

"We're here to win seven games and obviously our expectations are high and the boys have shown over the last year against top opposition where our standards are and I expect them to be retained."

“I think that we do have the players here - Boyle, Silvera, Tilio, Jordy Bos, Craig Goodwin, Riley McGree, these guys have great one v one actions and individual quality, and I want to see that. We will get nations that will sit back and try to frustrate us, so it's important that we're patient, and we stick to what we're good at, and that's moving the ball quickly, penetrating in behind and boys showing individual skill.”

Arnold on evolution from last Asian Cup

"I've been in the job for five and a half years. If you look back to the last Asian Cup, I have only two starters in this squad from the Starting XI from 2019. The squad has completely changed, so I think me working with the Olympic team has helped build this depth." 

Working with these boys for quite a while now and being able to have friendly games, trialling players a little bit more and bringing them into camp, giving them the opportunity to feel what it's like to play for the Socceroos or be part of the camps was also crucial. And I'm excited by this squad, we have got a lot of young players that bring a lot of energy. But I've said it before, the most important ones are the senior ones and their leadership."

Arnold on selection and availability

"Maty [Ryan]? He's back to training fully, the last three days, four days since we've been in Doha. He is training very well, and all the boys are fit and healthy. Still, obviously, there are two days to go before the game. So I can't give the starting lineup at the moment, but we've got everyone fit and healthy." 

[Are there any selection headaches?] "Everywhere! We have four great central defenders, good left backs too with Aziz [Behich] and Kye Rowles, who can play there. For right fullbacks, we have three, so there is three that are competing for every position all over the park."

Aziz Behich 

READ MORE: Experienced Behich hoping to taste Asian Cup glory for a second time

“A lot of boys are playing their first major tournament for their country, so it's exciting for us that have been here before. I was lucky enough to touch that trophy in 2015 on home soil, it's a feeling you can't explain to people when you obviously win silverware, but to win it for your country it is so special."

“We've put ourselves in this in this position to have the chance to go again and the boys know what's at stake here. When you look at our squad, we have a lot of depth, a lot of boys playing at a high level of football playing week in week out.”

“The standard is high, we're here to win it. That's obviously our main goal. The messaging has always been the same for us, when you have the opportunity to represent your country, you're out there to win, especially for Australia. Every game we go in to, our expectation is to win. Because that's what we're here for.”

Joe Gauci

READ MORE: Gauci is 'enjoying learning' off goalkeeping teammates ahead of first Asian Cup

“I'm really fortunate just to be in this position. If I'm able to get on the field on Saturday, it would be a really special moment for myself and my family and everyone that's supported me along the way. I'm also here to learn and develop. I've got two fantastic experience goalkeepers in Maty [Ryan] and Lawrence [Thomas]. I understand I need to be a sponge and just ask them questions and learn off them. In a goalkeeping sense, it's a position that everyone does slightly differently.”

"I think upon our arrival, as well into Doha here, it's definitely become a lot more real for myself. We have a lot of the Socceroos [signage] from room to room and through the corridors, it's really exciting and I'm looking forward to it getting underway. There's a collective understanding of everyone's role and responsibility, regardless of who's on the field or off the field, everyone has a clear understanding of the jobs for each position."

"My full focus is on my attitude this next week, and at the end of the day, the selection and Maty's fitness I can't control, but I'm looking forward to doing a job and putting 100% effort in for my country, in what capacity that is, whether it's on the field or on the bench. Look, I think at the end of the day, I'm very pleased with where I am. And putting it like that, I can reflect, and my journey has been a fantastic one. And I'm so grateful for the opportunities that I have, you know, both with Adelaide and now here with the national team."

Every AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 match will be live on Paramount+