Australia fit and raring to go against Indonesia: Arnold

Graham Arnold gave his Australia squad a clean bill of health ahead of the Socceroos’ AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 Round of 16 clash with Indonesia at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium on Sunday with striker Mitchell Duke available for selection.
Duke missed the 1-1 draw with Uzbekistan in the last round of Group B games on Tuesday due to a hamstring strain, but Arnold confirmed the Machida Zelvia forward would be available for his side’s opening match of the knockout rounds.
“He’s training fully today,” Arnold said of Duke, while Craig Goodwin has also recovered from a minor knee injury.
“There was a slight strain in his hamstring.
“He’s available for selection, which is the main thing.
“We’ve got a few players in that position to think about, and we’re just making sure that he’s ready to go.
“We don’t want him to be on the pitch and have something happen again, so we’re just making sure that that’s all right. Everyone else is 100 percent fit.”
Australia and Indonesia will be meeting at the AFC Asian Cup for the first time and have not faced off against one another since a qualifier for the 2011 tournament in Brisbane in 2010, which the Socceroos won through a solitary goal from Mark Milligan.
Arnold’s team will go into the game as favourites but the former Sydney FC coach is wary of Shin Tae-yong’s side after their performances in the group phase, where the Indonesians notched up a 1-0 win over Vietnam.
“Indonesia have shown what the competition is about and the strength of the competition,” said Arnold.
“Every time we go on the pitch and prepare for a game we expect a tough match and we expect that on Saturday.
“We have to be at our best and we can’t have any slip up in the mental side of it.
“It’s not a David v Goliath battle. It’s two teams that will go out there and give it their best.
“They’ve shown in this competition so far, against Japan and against Iraq, how strong they are, and obviously they won against Vietnam.
“We’ve watched all the games, we’ve done all our research, and we’re planning ourselves to win the game.”
Indonesia will be appearing in the knockout rounds of the AFC Asian Cup for the first time with the country making their first appearance since 2007, and coach Shin Tae-yong acknowledged the difficulties his side will face against a team 121 places higher in the world rankings.
“Tomorrow’s match for us is never going to be easy, especially because the Australia team is one of the strongest teams in the Asian Cup,” said the former Korea Republic international, who finished his playing career with A-League side Queensland Roar.
“They’ve got strength and power and I think in those aspects Australia is probably the strongest in this competition.
“We’re going to play with a strong mentality. We will never give up. We’re going to focus on the match until the referee blows the whistle after 90 minutes. We’re not going to have any regrets and we’re going to do our best.
“I lived in Brisbane for five years so I know the colour of the Australian football and the playing style,” Shin said through a translator ahead of Sunday’s match at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium. “However it depends on all the head coaches, the philosophy and what he wants, how he builds his team, his cohesion etc. If I compare the time I stayed in Australia and now, I think the Australian football also has been developing so far. So I just want to praise it, the Australian football compared to before. It’s very offensive football. But the Australian team may have weaknesses. I still will need to find a way to deal with this Australian team.”