Ryan, McGree passed fit as Socceroos plan to go all out against India
McGree #McGree
Kick-off: 10.30pm Saturday (AEDT)
TV: Live on Network 10 and Paramount+
PROJECTED SOCCEROOS STARTING TEAM (4-3-3): Ryan; Miller, Souttar, Rowles, Behich; Irvine, Baccus, McGree; Boyle, Duke, Goodwin.
THREE BURNING QUESTIONS
Will Arnold shake things up? There are a few positions up for grabs in this Australian team – Arnold has four good centre-backs, plenty of midfield options and an in-form and hungry striker in Bruno Fornaroli banging the door down. But Arnold is a pretty conservative coach, at the end of the day, so expect him to revert to a team that has experience playing in big tournaments.
Will the crowd be a factor? Asian Cups don’t tend to pull in huge crowds – particularly in the Middle East – but this match could be an exception. There are plenty of Indian migrant workers in Doha and they are likely to pack out the stands and create an intimidating atmosphere for the Socceroos to deal with.
How will this team deal with expectation? Anything short of a multiple-goal win is probably a disaster for the Socceroos, who have thrived over the last 18 months in situations where little has been expected of them. The dynamics are completely different now.