Lebanon’s buildup for the Asian Cup will officially end Tuesday when the team faces continental champions Australia in the ANZ Stadium in Sydney at 10:30 a.m. Beirut time.
The international has garnered far more attention than is custom for a friendly match, with the occasion acting as a swan song for Tim Cahill who will earn his 108th and final cap with the Socceroos.
And while Cedars coach Miodrag Radulovic recognized the sentiment surrounding Tuesday’s encounter, he stressed that this was first and foremost a valuable learning experience for his young side.
“It’s an honor to play Australia. This game means a lot to us, especially my young players.
“I respect the Socceroos, but I need to see how my players operate against such a team.”
Lebanon, who delivered an encouraging performance despite a goalless draw with Uzbekistan Thursday, will be without Swedish-based Alexander and Felix Melki.
The Melki brothers both started in Thursday’s stalemate, with Alexander deputizing at right-back and Felix featuring in midfield.
Cedars captain Hasan Maatouk will get another shot at equaling Roda Antar’s goalscoring record for Lebanon. The Nejmeh forward, who is stuck on 19 goals from 71 caps, hoped his teammates could build on their impressive display against Uzbekistan when they tackle Australia.
“Everyone saw with Uzbekistan how our play has evolved, and tomorrow [Tuesday] is a great opportunity to continue that especially against a quality player like Cahill,” Maatouk said.
Cahill, Australia’s record goalscorer with 50 goals, is expected to be given a cameo role by Socceroos coach Graham Arnold who insisted that the former Everton player’s send-off would not overshadow his team’s preparations.
“The first 85 minutes is all about our performance,” he said. “There are no friendly games.
“The last five minutes can be for Timmy or the last two minutes can be for Timmy. It’s all about us and preparing,” he added.
Cahill’s impending retirement has unsurprisingly coincided with a scoring drought for the Australian team, who needed an injury time goal to salvage a 1-1 draw with South Korea Saturday.
And a concerned Arnold has urged his strikers to sharpen their skills in front of goal.
“We will set the players’ programs after this game, especially the strikers, that when they go back to clubland where we can’t control what they do at their clubs, that they work on a lot of finishing practice,” Arnold said.
“Goalscoring becomes a habit. It is about not only putting the ball in the back of the net, but it’s also about having the confidence and the belief to score goals. It’s also something that becomes natural for a player,” he added.
A possible boon for Lebanon could be the absence of key men for the hosts, with Tom Rogic and Robbie Kruse missing for Australia while Premier League pair Mathew Ryan and Aaron Mooy expected to be rested.
“There is a short turnaround to Tuesday’s match against Lebanon so Tom [Rogic] and Robbie [Kruse], who both performed well on Saturday evening but have minor knee and groin injuries respectively, won’t be risked,” Arnold said.
“Our medical and performance staff will continue to monitor the group leading into Tuesday’s game and together we will make a decision regarding the final 23 players on matchday.”
Arnold’s eagerness to test out his squad could see Australian-Lebanese Andrew Nabout feature at some point.
“With limited matches and training days with the team leading up to next year’s AFC Asian Cup it is important that we provide as many players as possible with the chance to integrate into our style and system, and Tuesday’s match against Lebanon gives us a great chance to do that,” Arnold said.
