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The Australian football team will travel across the world tomorrow night to London to take on England at Wembley Stadium. It is the first time in seven years that the two nations have come head to head in a football match, and Graham Arnold will be keen to see how his side gets on against one of the best national teams in the world. The match is set to kick off at 19:45 UK and can be watched on Channel four.
Australia predicted lineup vs Saudi Arabia team news
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As far as friendly matches go, Graham Arnold has two huge matches coming up as he looks to guide the Socceroos to victory over England and New Zealand. As ever, he would have been hoping for a clean bill of health but he has already been forced into one squad change after Middlesbrough midfielder, Riley McGree, picked up a foot injury.
Replacing McGree in the squad is Aiden O’Neill, who plays his club football for Standard Liege. The 25-year-old will be looking to earn a third cap for his country while several players in Arnold’s squad are on the hunt for their first. These include Tom Glover, Lewis Miller and Alessandro Circati who will all be dreaming of playing for their country at Wembley.
While in years gone by the Socceroos boasted some familiar names to English fans, including Tim Cahill, Mark Viduka and Harry Kewell, this squad possesses no Premier League stars. One player to keep an eye on, though, is Massimo Luongo in midfield who has played a big part for Ipswich Town so far this season.
Australia predicted lineup
Ryan, Strain, Souttar, Burgess, Behich, Baccus, Luongo, Boyle, Irvine, Mabil, Duke
Australia predicted lineup vs England – Our top three
Mathew Ryan – The man to beat
Mat Ryan is probably the most recognisable player in the Australian squad for English football fans thanks to his spell at Brighton between 2017-2021. The Australian stopper was the club’s number one for the majority of that time and now plays his football for Belgian side, Standard Liege.
Ryan is also the Australian captain and their most important player. On Friday night, he will once again be the key for Graham Arnold’s men with the primary objective surely to keep the ball out of their own net. Ryan has excellent shot-stopping ability and has thwarted Harry Kane on several occasions in the past.
One area of Ryan’s game that might not be needed on Friday is his distribution. It was this facet of his game that Graham Potter made the most of during his time at the Amex but we suspect he will be instructed to long and deep at every opportunity at Wembley to get his team up the pitch.
Massimo Luongo – The forgotten man
Massimo Luongo has been a bit of a journeyman in the lower leagues of English football but has firmly found a home at Ipswich Town. Luongo has played in every single match for the Tractor Boys this season and has been integral in their charge up the table. He hasn’t played for his country since 2019 but is a guaranteed starter for the match against England.
Lewis Miller – The debutant
Hibs full-back, Lewis Miller, is in line for his first every cap on Friday evening. Miller has been a regular for Hibs in the SPL this season and he has credited his club manager, Nick Montgomery, for his call up to the international team. After moving away from Australia last year, the decision looks to be finally paying off.
Will Harry Souttar play against England?
Like Luongo, Harry Souttar plays for a team in the top two in the Championship table. Unlike Luongo, however, Souttar has struggled for minutes for Leicester City and could be on the move in January. Despite his lack of minutes, he should still get the nod to start against England.
Australia predicted lineup vs England – The final word
Regardless of which lineup Graham Arnold goes with on Friday night, Australia are going to have their work cut out. This England squad is one of the strongest in world football and they are a force to be reckoned with at Wembley. We are going for England 3-0 Australia.
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