The Socceroos will look to make it two from two in their ‘Welcome Home’ series when they host Ecuador at Marvel Stadium. KEEPUP previews Tuesday evening’s contest in Melbourne.
In front of what is expected to be a solid crowd, Australia will be hoping lightning can strike twice when they take on La Tri for the second time in four days.
Graham Arnold’s men saw off Ecuador 3-1 last Friday night, as goals from Jackson Irvine, Awer Mabil and Garang Kuol were enough to get the job done at CommBank Stadium, where the Socceroos celebrated their first match since a memorable last-16 berth at the 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup with a win.
Felix Sanchez’ Ecuador did, however, provide a stern test for the Aussies throughout the 90 minutes, dominating possession and missing a few quality chances which could have swung the tide in their favour.
Conversely, the Socceroos were dangerous from set-pieces and in moments of transition, where they were able to feast on turnovers caused by their pressing.
Both teams are expected to make a number of changes for their second meeting, with several fresh faces expected to get an opportunity in the Docklands.
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Daniel Garb is joined by KEEPUP’s David Weiner and Tom Smithies as well as former Socceroos player Mark Robertson in a special Socceroos edition of the Official Isuzu UTE A-League Podcast, brought to you by Neds.
Match details
Kick-off is at 7:30 PM (AEDT) on Tuesday, March 28 at Marvel Stadium.
The match will be broadcasted on free-to-air television on Network 10’s secondary channel 10 Bold.
It was also be streamed live on Paramount + and 10Play.
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Team news
Socceroos head coach Graham Arnold said there would be “five to six” changes for the second meeting against Ecuador.
Star defender Harry Souttar is out due to an ankle knock and will be replaced by veteran Bailey Wright in the heart of defence.
Souttar was “touch and go” to feature but Arnold instead opted to go down the precautionary route with the Leicester City centre-back – who has since returned to the UK ahead of their Premier League clash with Crystal Palace on the weekend.
Arnold also hinted that Middlesbrough midfielder Riley McGree would come into the XI, after missing Friday’s night game due to illness.
Garang Kuol, Marco Tilio and Brandon Borrello – who all came off the bench on Friday – are in the mix should Arnold look to shake up his front three, while Jason Cummings could also be considered.
However, he remained coy on whether teenage phenom Nestory Irankunda would debut saying “we’ll see” – while left-back Jordan Bos could be in line for his first Socceroos cap.
Hearts duo Cameron Devlin and Nathaniel Atkinson could also be called on if the Australia boss wants to continue shuffling the deck.
Australia’s possible starting XI: Ryan (GK), Atkinson, Rowles, Wright, Behich, Devlin, McGree, Irvine, Borrello, Cummings, Goodwin
Ecuador, meanwhile, may be forced into at least one change after Brighton and Hove Albion winger Jeremy Sarmiento hobbled off due to injury in the first half of the series opener.
Should Sarmiento miss, Alexander Alvarado may be his replacement, having been introduced at CommBank Stadium.
Goalkeeper Hernan Galindez – who started every game at the World Cup – was surprisingly left out of the XI last week, with Sanchez opting to give young shot-stopper Moises Ramirez an opportunity instead.
La Tri will be without star striker and captain Enner Valencia again, after he failed to make the trip over due to injury.
Ecuador possible starting XI: Galindez (GK), Preciado, Hincapie, Torres, Estupinan, Mendez, Caicedo, Cifuentes, Mena, Estrada, Alvarado
Key matchup
Moises Caicedo vs Riley McGree
Two of either side’s form UK-based players are set to go head-to-head on Tuesday evening.
Ecuador star Moises Caicedo is expected to once again take his place in the starting XI, and this time he will go toe-to-toe with in-form Socceroos midfielder Riley McGree – who is set to return to the team from illness.
Caicedo played the full 90 minutes on Friday night, putting in a solid performance in the middle of the park. The in-demand Brighton and Hove Albion star dictated things when La Tri looked to get on the ball, which they had more of than the Socceroos throughout the evening.
“He’s fiery too,” KEEPUP’s David Weiner said on the Official Isuzu UTE A-League podcast.
“The quality was there… you could see if Aiden O’Neill was a yard off he was ready to hurt to him, but the physical presence and he was in the centre of the spat with Alexander Robertson too!
“You come to the other side of the world to play… in inverted commas: an international friendly, it was brilliant to see his mentality, because you can see why he’s right at the top.”
However, he faces a bit of a more tricky proposition on Tuesday evening, when he comes up against McGree – should the Middlesbrough man take his place in the midfield three.
McGree had been used as both a number 10 and out wide at the World Cup, and despite Arnold hinting at his return to the XI, he gave no indication of what position he would occupy.
Should he take up the position Jackson Irvine filled on Friday evening, McGree will face an enormous task getting the better of Caicedo.
However, Arnold may opt to stick with the tried and tested formula of Irvine as the second-striker, and play McGree on the left instead of Craig Goodwin – which would free up the Boro man to play in a position he has been dominating in at Championship level as of late.
Three burning questions
How many more fresh faces will we see?
On Friday evening, Arnold handed opportunities to a number of players, who either missed out on minutes or the squad entirely at the FIFA World Cup.
But will we see more get their chance on Friday?
Melbourne City’s Aiden O’Neill, who started, and Alex Robertson were also handed their first Australia caps – and the duo impressed during their minutes on the field – while Brandon Borrello, Connor Metcalfe and Marco Tilio were given a chance after either missing the squad or not earning minutes in Qatar respectively.
This Tuesday, however, there’s every chance we could see more players have an opportunity in Australia green and gold – given Arnold’s comments regarding player rotation for this contest.
“I think Jordy Bos’ form in the Isuzu UTE A-League warrants a look and I’m really looking forward to seeing that,” Weiner said.
“I wouldn’t mind seeing (Garang) Kuol a little bit more as well.
“I think Duke… is a phenomenon at the moment, but I would like to see one of (Jason) Cummings or Borrello, perhaps start.
“I wouldn’t mind seeing a bit more of Cummings in the international arena, he had a pinch hit here, pinch hit there. He made his run late for the squad for the World Cup, so wouldn’t mind seeing him get some runs under his legs and see what he can produce in this kind of arena as well.”
Meanwhile, KEEPUP’s Tom Smithies would like to see an opportunity for the ‘Grey Wiggle’ to showcase that he is ready to take on the number two mantle, in the wake of Danny Vukovic’s international retirement.
“I personally, I think it’s more important to give (Andrew) Redmayne (minutes),” he said.
“I know he’s gone to a World Cup and everything, there’s a diffidence still about Andrew Redmayne. I’d love him to get an international cap, just so he can keep building up, building up because you know Mat Ryan might pull a hamstring or something might happen in qualifying and Redmayne is the next cab off the rank.
“I’d like him to feel that he’s the next cab off the rank now that Vukovic has retired and he’s definitely the number two.”
A-Leagues star Joe Gauci is another option, should skipper Maty Ryan be rested, with the Adelaide United custodian eyeing his first national team cap.
Will Irankunda play?
“We’ll see”.
That was the answer from a smiling Arnold on Monday when asked if we would see him unleash teenage superstar Nestory Irankunda against Ecuador.
Irankunda is on fire at the moment for Adelaide United and has shown in his cameos off the bench this season that he has all the tools to turn a game completely on its head – even in limited minutes.
Not many players around the country are coming into window with the momentum behind them that the 17-year-old has right now.
His amalgamation of sheer confidence, speed, dribbling and eye for goal also makes him one of Australia’s most dangerous attacking weapons.
And this doesn’t even take into consideration just how popular he is among football fans.
When discussing whether Irankunda should see minutes on Tuesday night, the podcast crew were split.
“I think it’s loaded minutes, because it gives him the mantle of the youngest Socceroo ever. That’s a lot of pressure.” Weiner said.
“I don’t see that you lose anything by doing it,” host Daniel Garb responded.
“Yes, it’s a big tag to put on his head… if Arnie feels as if his work ethic is deserving of it during training in the week and the passion is there, then go for it.
“If he feels as if, we just wanted to give him the experience. We’re not sure if the kid is ready for that just yet. We don’t know, we’re not privy to it. We don’t speak to him. I think Arnie is pretty good with those decisions.
“I think he’s got most of them right over the journey, when to introduce someone and give him that exposure when to maybe hold them back. So I trust the coach’s judgment on that.”
Now, it’s just a matter of whether Arnie will let him cook.
What sort of approach do we see from the Socceroos?
Australia’s tactical approach on Friday night was interesting.
The Socceroos came in with a cautious mindset at CommBank Stadium, opting to cede possession to their opponents and look to play primarily off the break.
At times, the Aussies pressed high and put pressure on the Ecuador defence, particularly when they looked to play out from the back. However, they didn’t always go to the well with the press – opting to sit further back and wait patiently for a turnover deeper down the field.
But will we see Arnold look to play more on the front foot this time around?
A lot will come down to squad make-up and the players he looks to put on the park from the first minute – especially in midfield.
Given their counter-attacking philosophy worked in Sydney, it would be surprising to see them stray too much from a tried and tested formula – but at the same time – having more of the ball will be something they will face time and time again throughout World Cup qualifying.
It will be an interesting watch, nonetheless.
Prediction
Australia 2-1 Ecuador
A much tighter game this time around, but the Socceroos will be too strong and come away with a clean sweep in front of a strong crowd at Marvel Stadium.
1 hour ago ‘Outstanding’ debutant’s response to ‘dress rehearsal’ question shows Socceroos future is in safe hands The Socceroos led early doors - but two second-half goals to Ecuador saw the visitors come from a goal down to win 2-1 in an international friendly at Marvel Stadium on Tuesday night.
2 days ago
Socceroos lose Souttar for Ecuador rematch but could we see Irankunda?
The Socceroos will take on Ecuador in Melbourne without Harry Souttar, but Nestory Irankunda could be involved.
