Soccer-Socceroos out to seal the World Cup deal at home

By Nick Mulvenney

SYDNEY, June 16 (Reuters) - Australia have named complacency public enemy number one ahead of their bid to seal a third successive World Cup berth with victory over Iraq in front of a sell-out 80,000 crowd at the Olympic Stadium on Tuesday.

The Socceroos put themselves in the driving seat for the second spot in Asian qualifying Group B and the place in Brazil that goes with it by thrashing Jordan 4-0 last week. Victory over 2007 Asian Cup champions Iraq will secure it.

Iraq's own hopes of a place at soccer's showpiece event next year disappeared with a 1-0 loss to group winners Japan in Doha last week.

Striker Younis Mahmoud, the captain of Iraq's Asian Cup-winning team, and experienced playmaker Nashat Akram both announced their international retirement after that match and neither will be in Vladimir Petrovic's squad.

Forward Alaa Abdul Zahraa will not be available either after being sent off for a second bookable offence when he caught Japan's Masahiko Inoha in the head while trying an overhead kick.

With confidence buoyed by the comprehensive victory over the Jordanians in Melbourne and the odds seemingly stacked in their favour, the Australians are desperate to avoid sport's dreaded "C" word.

"That's the one thing we will not allow to creep in," defender Luke Wilkshire said this week.

"People can get carried away after such a great result and now facing Iraq who are out of contention. But it's a huge prize on the line, everyone knows that and anyone who knows football knows what can happen.

"They're going to come very relaxed, they've got nothing to lose. They'll play openly and freely without too many worries so all the pressure is on us."

MEND FENCES

Socceroos coach Holger Osieck is expected to stick with the team that resurrected a lacklustre campaign with a hard-fought 1-1 draw in Japan and the thrashing of Jordan over the last two weeks.

Midfielders Mark Bresciano and Mark Millgan, as well as experienced defenders Lucas Neill and Sasa Ognenovski, returned to the squad after the embarrassment of the 2-2 home draw with Oman in March that allowed Jordan to go above them in the group.

German Osieck, who has plenty of bridge-building to do with the Australian public and not just because of the sexist comment he made in an attempted joke last week, may have chanced upon the side but he is not about to tinker with it.

"I was convinced that the 11 that started in Japan were at that moment the best we have right now and their performance proved me right," Osieck said after the Jordan win. "And tonight again, we saw the proof of it."

Another fine performance from winger Robbie Kruse, who scored one goal and laid on two others against Jordan, could get the party started early at the Olympic Stadium, where Australia qualified for the 2006 World Cup amid euphoric scenes with a playoff victory over Uruguay.

Even if the Soccerooos fail to beat Iraq, they could still qualify for Brazil via a playoff against another Asian nation followed by another over two legs against a team from South America.

Forward Tim Cahill, his nation's saviour on many occasions in his 63 internationals, made it clear that Australia were determined to finish the job on Tuesday.

"I want to make sure there's no complacency in the camp," the 33-year-old said this week. "I like that we control our own destiny, there's no other way of looking at it." (Editing by Peter Rutherford)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/soccer-socceroos-seal-world-cup-deal-home-075957554.html

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