On Thursday night at Commbank Stadium in Sydney, the Socceroos take on minnows Lebanon in a World Cup qualifier from 8pm – not that you would know it.
Poor advertising from Football Australia of the international fixture – plus the fact the game is competing with the AFL and NRL – will almost certainly result in poor TV numbers on Channel 10.
Why compete directly with the two most popular footy codes in Australia for gameday viewership?
The question many supporters want to know is, why wasn’t the soccer played on Wednesday night at the same venue?
On Thursday at Commbank Stadium in Sydney, the Socceroos take on Lebanon in a World Cup qualifier – not that you would know it (pictured, skipper Mat Ryan)
Graham Arnold’s men are tipped to win comfortably, with the Cedars ranked 115th in the world according to FIFA (pictured, uncapped Aussie midfielder Josh Nisbet)
Lebanon have nothing to lose and will relish the underdog tag (pictured, training at Commbank Stadium this week)
Graham Arnold’s men are tipped to win comfortably, with the Cedars ranked 115th in the world, according to FIFA.
Like many of the Socceroos’ opponents, they will sit deep from the opening whistle and should be tough to break down.
The last time Australia played on home soil four months ago, they hammered Bangladesh 7-0 in front of a boisterous Melbourne crowd.
With another World Cup qualifier against Lebanon in Canberra on March 26, Arnold will expect urgency from his starting XI.
Following a strong season in the A-League with Perth Glory, Adam Taggart is looming large as Arnold’s choice to start up top in the final third.
Meanwhile, Channel Nine identity Sarah Abo unleashed a cheeky sledge on the Socceroos just hours before kick-off.
Interviewing Matildas vice-captain Emily van Egmond on the Today show on Thursday morning, Abo began to chat about the men’s national team.
‘The Socceroos are obviously playing tonight, but people are sort of asking, the Soccerwhos?’ she joked.
‘Look, all the best, Socceroos. I mean, they’ve got a big game against Lebanon as well. So, you know, we’re here to support them as much as we can. And yeah, they’re doing a terrific job,’ a diplomatic van Egmond responded.
‘I’m joking, of course. We love the Socceroos almost as much as we love the Matildas,’ Abo said.
Channel Nine’s Sarah Abo cheekily labelled Graham Arnold’s squad the ‘Soccerwhos’ ahead of their World Cup qualifier
Bizarrely, the Socceroos are playing at the same time as key NRL and AFL fixtures in Sydney and Melbourne on Thursday night
Co-host Karl Stefanovic then got in on the fun, stating: ‘I don’t think that’s true at all.’
Van Egmond’s TV appearance follows the Matildas being drawn alongside the US, Germany and an African qualifier for the Paris Olympics in July.
The veteran midfielder said she was excited at the development – but also equally nervous.
‘The Olympics is a super competitive tournament,’ van Egmond said.
‘You saw how hard it was for all the European teams to qualify, with England, Sweden missing out in particular.
‘For us, it’s just focusing on ourselves. We’re obviously used to these kinds of things.
‘We did well at in Tokyo, and now in Paris we have a new challenge and one that we’ll be excited for.’
Speaking about the absence of captain Sam Kerr, who won’t feature due to a ACL injury, van Egmond said the striker remains a vital part of the squad.
‘She’s our leader,’ she said. ‘Sam might not be here on ground with us, but from afar, she’s definitely playing a role and one that we are super thankful for.’
