The Socceroos are treating Thursday’s conflict with Argentina much less as a pleasant and extra of a “grudge match” after their defeat on the World Cup in Qatar.
With reminiscences of the frustration felt following the 2-1 loss which ended Australia’s World Cup marketing campaign by no means removed from his ideas, midfielder Keanu Baccus has declared the conflict with the world champs in Beijing gained’t be too “friendly”.
Argentina has named a powerful roster for the conflict, together with famous person captain Lionel Messi, which has solely enhanced the style for a revenge win among the many Socceroos.
“We’re not going to treat it like a friendly, as such,” Baccus mentioned from China on Tuesday.
“We’re going to go out there and try to do our best and win the game. It’s a little bit of a grudge match because they beat us.
“I know how I felt coming off the pitch; a little bit disappointed that we couldn’t walk away with anything from that game.
“So it’s definitely going to be an intense game. I don’t think it’s going to be a friendly, if you put it that way.”
Baccus had a number of encounters with Messi, who scored a aim in that World Cup conflict and once more has his eye on tangling with the 35-year-old, who has baulked at a number of massive cash provides to signal with Inter Miami to proceed his stellar profession.
“He’s obviously a great player; he ended up scoring that day and they ended up winning that game,” the 25-year-old mentioned.
“But I don‘t want anyone to get the better of me, whether it’s him, whether it’s any other player on the pitch.
“So I am definitely going to go out there and do my best again and try to stop all of them.”
There’s no concern among the many Socceroos both, given they had been in a position to rating in opposition to the world champs and the gamers imagine they’ve a template to show the tables this time round with a younger squad brimming with pleasure.
“We’re not going to sit back and let them control the game,” Baccus mentioned.
“We’re going to take it to them, get in their face like we did in the World Cup, if not more.
“Now that we have played them, we know a little bit of what they’re about.
“But we’re going to take the game to them, we’re going to press them high and also try to get on the ball and control the game at some points.
“We’re super excited. There’s a lot of young boys here that are ready to go and ready to show their ability and show that they belong.”
Source: www.news.com.au