There are plenty of new faces in the Australian squad for not one, but two games against ‘The Canarinhos’. Whilst they’re in the neighbourhood, they may as well play twice!
The games are scheduled to be played at 8pm AEST on the 25th September, and then again on the 29th.
The Socceroos head into this match with only one win in their last six matches. That victory came against Turkey in the group stage of this year’s World Cup. In the other five games, there were four draws, and one defeat against Mexico in the warm-up game for the World Cup in May. The World Cup campaign was a decent showing for Australia, who battled through a tough group which consisted of Turkey, co-hosts USA, and Paraguay. They eventually lost out against Egypt in the round of 32 on penalties following a 1-1 draw.
The feedback from Brazilian supporters, however, tells a different story, as their shock defeat against Norway in the last 16 raised a lot of questions against the 5-time World Champions.
Team News
Despite there being a lot of excitement as Tony Popovic has selected a plethora of new faces in the latest Football Australia squad announcement, veteran goalkeeper and former English Premier League star Mat Ryan has been axed from the squad. The shot-stopper has been playing regular football for Spanish side Levante so far this season, and there have been no reports of any injuries.
Striker Cristian Volpato has also been axed from the squad, which may be related to a fine he’s picked up this month after testing positive for cocaine, although he is reportedly carrying a hamstring injury.
Ajdin Hrustic, Cameron Devlin, Cameron Burgess, Nishan Velupillay, Awer Mabil, Mathew Leckie, and Kai Trewin were also left out, while Jordan Bos is unavailable due to a knee injury.
Squad
- Goalkeepers: Patrick Beach (Troyes/FRA), Jacob Chapman (St Mirren/SCO), Paul Izzo (Randers FC/DEN).
- Defenders: Kealey Adamson (Queens Park Rangers/ENG), Aziz Behich (Melbourne City/AUS), Kasey Bos (Excelsior Rotterdam/NED), Alessandro Circati (Benfica/POR), Milos Degenek (Apoel FC/CYP), Jason Geria (Albirex Niigata/JPN), Lucas Herrington (Hull City/ENG), Jacob Italiano (Grazer AK/AUT), Dylan Leonard (Alemannia Aachen/GER), Harry Souttar (Leicester City/ENG).
- Midfielders: Jackson Irvine (Cerezo Osaka/JPN), Riley McGree (Middlesbrough/ENG), Connor Metcalfe (St Pauli/GER), Aiden O’Neill (New York City/USA), Paul Okon-Engstler (FC Koln/GER), Alexander Robertson (Cardiff City/WAL), Patrick Yazbek (Nashville SC/USA).
- Forwards: Eli Adams (Gamba Osaka/JPN), Yaya Dukuly (NK Celje/SLO), Nestory Irankunda (Sporting CP/POR), Mohamed Toure (Norwich City/ENG), Tete Yengi (FC Machida Zelvia/JPN), Marcus Younis (Brondby/DEN).
Mat Ryan’s replacement comes in the name of St Mirren goalkeeper Jacob Chapman, who has earned his first senior call-up after featuring regularly in the Scottish Premiership this season.
The 25-year-old was born in Sydney, representing Sydney United 58 and Marconi Stallions in the NPL NSW, before moving abroad in 2019 to pursue an opportunity with Huddersfield Town.
Kealey Adamson, Eli Adams, Yaya Dukuly, and Marcus Younis are all called up for the first time, whilst Riley McGree, Patrick Yazbek, Alexander Robertson, Dylan Leonard, and Kasey Bos are all returning to the squad following being overlooked in previous call-ups, with the latter two still yet to make their debuts.
Tactical Battles
With Australia shifting toward a younger, dynamic edge, Irankunda’s explosive acceleration and direct running down the right flank will be the Socceroos’ primary outlet on the counter.Brazil have named a strong squad for the two-game series, with Vinicius Jnr, Raphinha, Marquinhos, and Bruno Guimaraes all in the 26-man team.
How Brazil’s left-back, namely Douglas Santos or Mauro Júnior, handles his raw one-on-one threat, especially if they commit bodies forward in possession, will dictate whether Australia can successfully stretch the game or if they get locked inside their own half.
The ultimate test for Australia will be survival in the engine room. Irvine’s tireless work rate and O’Neill’s positional discipline will be forced to operate under intense, suffocating pressure from Brazil’s central unit. If the Socceroos’ double pivot can’t cleanly transition the ball within two touches, Brazil will turn turnovers into waves of quick-fire attacks.
Popovic doesn’t do chaos; he builds walls. True to the grit that dragged the Socceroos through the trenches at the World Cup, his side will likely look to set up shop with suffocating, synchronised discipline, choking the central corridors and forcing Brazil into harmless wide channels where traps can be sprung.
On the other side of the technical area, the Seleção arrive in Queensland with a bruised pride and an urgent mandate for redemption. Stung by their premature exit in North America, Brazil’s dugout isn’t here for a quiet exhibition; they want blood and rhythm back. Expect a high-octane chess match where relentless, multi-layered movement and surgical close-control look to pull Popovic’s well-oiled defensive shape apart one clever passing sequence at a time.
Bookmakers heavily lean toward a Brazilian victory, giving them roughly a 64% probability of winning.
Head Coach’s Perspective
“You know, everyone’s trying to get games, and we wanted to have high-quality games. We’re very fortunate that we’re here, obviously, in Brisbane, preparing for Brazil, and we felt that that outweighed just playing two games that may be… of a lesser level, of a level that maybe doesn’t excite the Australian public.
“We feel that will also support the players.
“They had a very long World Cup campaign. A lot of time together.
“The season has just begun, and it gives them a chance to go back to their clubs with a 10-day gap before they play again.
“Some will get a rest, some will go back into training with their clubs, and I think it’s a way of supporting the players in the clubs as well, that, you know, show the commitment, and, you know, the sacrifice that’s required for the players, and also the club’s supporting us.
“We’re giving a little bit back to them, as well, and we feel that with the games in November, we’ll be ready for the Asian Cup,” Popovic said.
Will be interesting to see how they perform tonight! Thanks for the intel