GERMANY: Australian coach Hiddink plays down Socceroos prospects before match against Japan.

Record ID: 335529

  • Title: GERMANY: Australian coach Hiddink plays down Socceroos prospects before match against Japan.
  • Date: 10th June 2006
  • Summary: OEHRINGEN, GERMANY (JUNE 11, 2006) (REUTERS) WIDE VIEW OF NEWS CONFERENCE PHOTOGRAPHER TAKING PICTURE (SOUNDBITE) (English) AUSTRALIA COACH GUUS HIDDINK, SAYING: "Being here, it's not just this team's attitude - just being here and having a good time, but also trying to get the unexpected and of course we try to aim, or we aim to get into the second round. All teams do. Wh
  • Embargoed: 25th June 2006 13:00
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  • Location: Germany
  • Country: Germany
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA3DHN9ZMADY8SRRJ54QLJCACCY
  • Story Text: Australia coach Guus Hiddink said on Sunday (June 11) Japan were favourites to win their opening World Cup clash in Kaiserslautern but the Socceroos were still capable of springing an upset.
    Hiddink said Australia had already achieved their main goal by reaching the World Cup finals but faced a tough job making the second round after being drawn in the same group as Japan, Brazil and Croatia.
    "Being here, it's not just this team's attitude - just being here and having a good time, but also trying to get the unexpected and of course we try to aim, or we aim to get into the second round. All teams do. Why shouldn't we?" Hiddink said at a news conference.
    The Australians are unbeaten since their penalty shootout win over Uruguay last year that got them into the World Cup, and their results include a 1-0 victory over European champions Greece and a 1-1 draw with the highly-ranked Dutch.
    "You never know what will happen tomorrow. So, we don't consider ourselves as a little group and afraid to play. None of that. This team of these guys, I love to work for them because they go for the advantage and I like that very much," Hiddink said.
    Hiddink took Korea to the semi-finals in 2002, said their lack of experience at World Cups could count against them when they take on the Japanese.
    He said he still has some concerns over the fitness of Tim Cahill and Harry Kewell, both based in England. The two have recently returned from injuries and while they are expected to play against Japan, Hiddink said neither player would be able to last the full 90 minutes.
    Striker Mark Viduka will captain the side after recovering from a calf strain that forced him to miss training on Thursday (June 8) and said the players were confident of a good showing.
    "I think we as Australians play fair every time we go out. We're very competitive people. We like to win. And we'll never pull out of a tackle. But it doesn't mean we go out to hurt people. You know, I think it's just a lot of hype made up," Viduka said in response to questions raised about their aggressive style.
    Australia last reached the World Cup in 1974.
    Teams: Likely formation; shirt numbers; name, caps, goals, coach:
    Australia (4-5-1):
    1-Mark Schwarzer (37-0); 7-Brett Emerton (46-11), 2-Lucas Neil (24-0), 3-Craig Moore (32-2), 14-Scott Chipperfield (44-11); 13-Vince Grella (17-0), 5-Jason Culina (12-1), 4-Tim Cahill (16-9), 23-Marco Bresciano (23-7), 10-Harry Kewell (20-6); 11-Mark Viduka (32-6)
    Coach: Guus Hiddink
    Japan (3-5-2):
    23-Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi (89-0); 5-Tsuneyasu Miyamoto (captain, 69-3), 22-Yuji Nakazawa (50-9), 19-Keisuke Tsuboi (33-0); 3-Yuichi Komano (8-0), 7-Hidetoshi Nakata (74-11), 15-Takashi Fukunishi (62-7), 10-Shunsuke Nakamura (60-15), 14-Alex (72-5); 9-Naohiro Takahara (41-17), 13-Atsushi Yanagisawa (56-17)
    Coach: Zico
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