Socceroos confident of overcoming Oman

(AAP) - A competition and an opponent which managed to reduce the Socceroos' standing in Asia from giants to goats won't be allowed to do so again, says skipper Lucas Neill.

The Socceroos must beat Oman in their Asian Cup qualifier at Etihad Stadium on
Wednesday night or risk missing the 2011 finals in Qatar.
The 2007 edition of the tournament proved a disastrous first foray into Asian
football for the Socceroos, sent packing in the quarter-finals after coming into the
region boasting star billing.
Along the way, they were outplayed and humbled by Oman in their opening group game
in Bangkok, only scraping a 1-1 draw thanks to an injury-time Tim Cahill equaliser.
But much has changed since.
Graham Arnold has been shunted sideways on the bench to make room for Asia-savvy
coach Pim Verbeek.
And the Socceroos have made next year's World Cup finals by dominating both their
Asian qualifying groups and are easily Asia's No.1 team - ranked a lofty 14 in the
world.
Yet the Asian Cup standings tell a different story - Oman currently top of Group B
with four points from two matches and Australia struggling with a draw and a loss.
"If you look at the table at the moment, they have more points than us and that's a
true reflection of how the group is - we haven't performed, they have," Neill said.
"The lessons we learned in the Asian Cup in Bangkok is something we take into games
like this to give us a reminder that we have to make sure from the very first
whistle that we're ready."
Verbeek has left nothing to chance as Cahill and Harry Kewell lead a near-full
strength squad after relying on A-League selections for the two previous Asian Cup
qualifiers.
Three changes loom to the starting line-up which pinched a 0-0 draw with the
Netherlands in Sydney last weekend.
Carl Valeri will replaced the injured Vince Grella in midfield, while veteran
left-back Scott Chipperfield is set to step in for David Carney.
And Brett Emerton could be the surprise and make a return to the Socceroos' starting
side following a serious knee injury.
Brett Holman is most likely to miss out should that happen.
Emerton played a key role at the Socceroos' final training session at Etihad Stadium
on Tuesday night.
Verbeek said he expected Oman to play a defensive game and chase a valuable away
point rather than chase the win.
"Everybody is here, everybody is ready. I think we can do a very good job tomorrow,"
Verbeek said.
"Oman has four points so a point away is enough.
"I expect them to be very well organised in defence, wait for the right moment and
try to score a goal from a counter-attack.
"Oman is a very good team, but I think that is the way they will come - they'll be
happy with a point.
"We have to beat them, that's our job."
Likely teams:
Australia: Mark Schwarzer, Luke Wilkshire, Craig Moore, Lucas Neill, Scott
Chipperfield, Jason Culina, Carl Valeri, Brett Emerton, Tim Cahill, Harry Kewell,
Josh Kennedy.
Oman: Ali Al Habsi, Fauzi Basheer, Khalifa Ayel, Mohammad Al Sheeba, Hasan Mudaffar,
Ahmed Hadid, Hashem Saleh, Ismail Al Ajmi, Emad Al Hossani, Badr Al Meymani, Hassan
Rabea.