Match Preview: Indonesia v Australia | FIFA World Cup 2026 ...
Australia travel to Jakarta in search of a reaction after a frustrating night on the Gold Coast saw them fall to a 1-0 defeat to Bahrain in the first match of Round Three in their FIFA World Cup 2026™qualifying campaign.
In a game that saw few clear-cut chances for either side, a cruel deflection off Harry Souttar in the 89th minute proved the difference, with Bahrain claiming the three points at Robina Stadium.
Now, the Subway Socceroos face an Indonesian side who managed an impressive 1-1 draw against Saudi Arabia in their opening Third Round AFC Asian Qualifier.
The result continues a formidable run of form for Team Garuda, who made it out of the Asian Cup group stages for the first time earlier this year before the Socceroos ran out convincing winners on that occasion with a 4-0 score.
While the sides met in January at that Asian Cup, the previous meeting dated back to the 2010 Asian Cup. In total - across 'A' internationals - the Socceroos have played Indonesia 16 times - registering 12 wins, three draws and one loss.
Indonesia advanced to the third round of the Asian qualifiers after finishing as the runner-up in Group F, behind Iraq while the Socceroos blitzed the Second Round Qualifiers, finishing top while netting 22 goals without conceding.
Graham Arnold will be without Kusini Yengi for the trip to Indonesia after the striker received a red card in the loss to Bahrain, but he has been replaced by John Iredale (AaB Fodbold). Arnold is also hopeful his squad will be boosted by the return of full-back Lewis Miller and midfielder Keanu Baccus.
Indonesia's squad has been bolstered by the inclusion of Dallas FC goalkeeper Maarten Paes, who featured for the first time against Saudi Arabia after being cleared to play for the Indonesian national team. Paes previously represented the Netherlands at youth level.
The 26-year-old is the latest in a number of players who have represented different nations at youth level with several Indonesians now playing their club football in the Eredivisie, Belgium Pro League, English Championship and Serie A.
The top two teams from the third round will qualify directly for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The third and fourth-placed teams will compete in the next round for the remaining qualification spots.
FIFA World RankingsIndonesia: 133Australia: 24
Head-to-HeadPlayed: 16Wins: 12Draws: 3Losses: 1
InsightsHarry Souttar has scored 11 goals in 31 matches for the Socceroos, an average of 0.35 per match.Jackson Irvine has begun his Bundesliga season with St Pauli with a bang, averaging 10.5 duels won and 5.5 aerial duels won per match, leading the league for central midfielders.Cameron Devlin is yet to be dispossessed in his 216 minutes for Hearts in the Scottish Premiership in 2024/25.In the A-League Men’s 2023/24 campaign, Adam Taggart led the A-League Men’s for goals scored (20), goals and assists (23), expected goals accumulated (17.5) and shots per 90 (5.1)Australia form guide: L-W-W-W-WIndonesia form guide: D-W-L-D-WWhat They SaidGraham Arnold"I've been watching them, obviously and doing my research, and I know that their Under 23 team got into a playoff (at the AFC U23 Asian Cup in April) and just missed out on the Olympic games. So I know that the game is growing here in Indonesia, but we are very prepared for that, and we're just focusing more on ourselves and how we perform.
"The other question about the crowd. It's great, I think it depends how the home team responds to the crowd. The big crowds can also put a lot of pressure on their own players and put a lot of pressure on their own performance. So it can go both ways, but it's great. We've been playing over the last number of years, a lot of games away from home, in front of big stadiums And I know that our players would rather play in front of 70,000 away bands than in front of nobody like we had to during Covid."
Aziz Behich"We know as a group that we were below par (against Bahrain). There's no doubt about it, but it's all about how we react and how we respond mentally. Obviously, leading into this game, we've got to put that game behind us. It's only one game and we've got a lot of games ahead of us, but we just got to focus on this Indonesia game now and the group's been great. We've had a good few sessions here.
"The boys have recovered well and like I said, it's more about just being positive. Obviously, knowing that we can be better, and we will be better. So that's been the main message, especially for the younger boys as well. And everyone's excited, and speaking about it, we know the atmosphere is going to be great, so as a footballer there's nothing better than playing in front of a full stadium."
Maty Ryan"I think experience within the game and life experience itself teaches you to respond in the strongest and most efficient way when you face a bit of adversity, and that's obviously, definitely been the focus since the result the other night.
"I mean it's a facet of life, adversity and when you face it and how you deal with it. It's a real skill set when you are able to respond and bounce back swiftly. That's the full focus now and the boys are obviously looking forward to the challenge. Anytime we get to pull on that Socceroos jersey and be here in camp is a great opportunity for us, individually and collectively. Like I said, we're trying to learn from our experience the other night and use that moving forward to become better and stronger."
Match DetailsIndonesia v Subway SocceroosTuesday 10 September 2024 Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, JakartaKick-off: 7.00pm local / 10.00pm AESTBroadcast: Paramount+
What's next?Australia vs China at Adelaide Oval Stadium, Adelaide - October 10, 2024Japan vs Australia at Saitama Stadium, Saitama - October 15, 2024
