Defender Kye Rowles believes Australia will be energized by the hostile environment in Saitama as they look to halt Japan’s juggernaut charge toward the 2026 FIFA World Cup in an Asian qualifier today.
The Socceroos have built up a fierce rivalry with the Samurai Blue since switching to the Asian confederation in 2006, even if it has been somewhat one-sided in favor of Japan.
Rowles and his teammates would face a partisan crowd of about 60,000 at Saitama Stadium willing Japan on to a fourth straight win in Group C of the third round of Asian qualifying.
Photo: EPA-EFE
“We’ve played in some pretty hostile crowds together as a group,” the centerback told Japanese reporters. “I think hostile crowds really get you going in a different way than home crowds. Home crowds makes it all nice and pretty, and you’ve got the support and it gives you that confidence. The hostile crowds really get your back up and you go: ‘Well now I’m not letting you have a party. I’m going to try and ruin it.’”
Japan have been in irrepressible form in the third round of qualifying as they target an eighth straight visit to the World Cup finals, thrashing China 7-0 and Bahrain 5-0 before beating Saudi Arabia 2-0 in Jeddah on Thursday last week.
Australia have just a single win and a draw after being upset by Bahrain at home in their opener and held 0-0 by Indonesia in Jakarta.
However, Rowles thinks that they showed enough in a 3-1 win over China to suggest a first win over Japan in their past 10 meetings might be on the cards.
“Obviously, the last few years they’ve had our number,” he said. “There was plenty of positives [on] Thursday, [so] hopefully we can flip the script a little bit, and put in a good performance and get one back on them.”
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