Opening Asian Cup Match 2015

 

Socceroos captain Mile Jedinak

Asian Cup : Australia v Kuwait in Melbourne

Asian Cup: Socceroos captain Mile Jedinak says expectation will not hamper his side against Kuwait

Socceroos captain Mile Jedinak said he is not worried about the weight of expectation on his team ahead of tonight's opening Asian Cup match against Kuwait in Melbourne.

Australia only won one match from 11 in 2014 but on home soil are second favourites to win the Asian Cup behind rivals Japan.

At the World Cup in Brazil last year the Socceroos lost all three matches but were gallant in defeat against the more fancied opponents of Chile, Netherlands and Spain.
In a weaker tournament Australia is expected by its fans to at least match its 2011 Asian Cup performance when it finished runner-up to Japan.
Jedinak acknowledges the pressure on the Socceroos to win in front of the home crowd but is confident his team can stand up to that.

Australia v Kuwait in Melbourne

"Being in Australia, the Australian national team has to do well," Jedinak told Grandstand.
"There will be that expectation, we understand that, but we have to show that we can stand up and be counted as a footballing nation in our region.
"I have no doubt, working with this group for an extended period of time, that we will get to show that."

 Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou has not yet revealed his squad for the match against Kuwait but rookie Massimo Luongo is expected to join Jedinak in the midfield.

Former Central Coast Mariners defender Trent Sainsbury is another tipped for a surprise start against Kuwait.
Postecoglou said his side has done plenty of homework on tonight's opposition. Kuwait beat an under-strength Socceroos side 1-0 last time the two nations met in Canberra in 2009.
Kuwait failed to advance past the group stage at the last Asian Cup in Qatar and have had a disrupted preparation this time in with a change in coach a month out from the tournament.

"It's the opening game of a major tournament, they are going to be just as excited as we are and I expect it to be a tough game for us," Postecoglou said.
The Socceroos other group games are against Oman in Sydney on Tuesday and South Korea in Brisbane next Saturday.

Cr. ABC Sport News