Football
Jake Michaels, ESPN Senior Writer 7y

Tom Rogic not overawed by Brazil, vows strong Socceroos' performance

Australia's clash with football heavyweight Brazil may be a friendly on paper, but the Socceroos are treating it as a real opportunity to test themselves against the world No. 1-ranked side.

Ange Postecoglou's Asian Champions showed tremendous heart to down Saudi Arabia 3-2 in Adelaide last Thursday and keep their 2018 World Cup aspirations alive. But they face a much sterner challenge on Tuesday night when they host the five-time World Cup winners.

Tom Rogic, who scored the winner against the Saudis, says he's relishing the chance to face Brazil at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

"Obviously, they are a very talented bunch of players, there's no hiding it, but we have enough talent in our squad," said Rogic. "It's going to be great for us to really challenge ourselves against them and it's a great preparation for [the Confederations Cup in] Russia.

"No. 1 is just a number, it's no big deal. We will prepare for this game as we would for any other."

The Socceroos midfielder also expects the Brazilians to be coming out with a point to prove after falling 1-0 to South American rival Argentina on Friday.

In excess of 95,000 fans flocked to the MCG to witness just the second Superclasico to be staged in Melbourne, with Gabriel Mercado tapping in the only goal of the match.

"After their loss against Argentina they might want to come out and show what they can do," Rogic said. "We will just have to wait and see, hopefully we can have a good game."

Rogic isn't the only Socceroo brimming with confidence.

Aaron Mooy, fresh from helping guide Huddersfield Town into the English top flight after a 45-year absence, says they take a lot of positives out of their recent win.

"We knew it was a big game [against Saudi Arabia] and we came in with a game plan and stuck to it," Mooy told ESPN FC. "We played some really good stuff and always believed in ourselves.

"Every game we play, we play to win."

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