Australia coach Graham Arnold expressed his desire for “revenge” against Lionel Messi’s Argentina in an upcoming friendly match in Beijing.
The Australian team was defeated by Argentina in the last 16 of the World Cup in Qatar, with Messi delivering an impressive goal en route to Argentina’s eventual triumph.
Despite the match being a friendly, Arnold emphasized that his team will approach it seriously and aim to make a strong impact against their opponents.
“I am getting goosebumps now that we can play the world champions so soon after the World Cup and get revenge,” Arnold said, as he named a young squad missing numerous established players through injury, including Celtic’s Aaron Mooy.
“Conditions will be humid and warm, but younger players have that energy and will run all day and fight.”
He added: “It is a fantastic opportunity for all of us to go out there and give it everything we’ve got — the boys will have energy galore and I can’t wait.”
Among those called up were 19-year-old Parma defender Alessandro Circati, who has represented Italy at youth level.
Arnold, who surpassed expectations in guiding Australia to the knockout rounds in Qatar, said that he already has one eye on qualification for the 2026 World Cup.
“I don’t feel there’s any better way to test them out than against the world champions,” he said of his youthful 23-man squad.